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Membraneless energy conversion and storage using immiscible electrolyte solutions
Date
2020
Abstract
Breakthrough alternative technologies are urgently required to alleviate the critical need to decarbonise our energy supply. We showcase non-conventional approaches to battery and solar energy conversion and storage (ECS) system designs that harness key attributes of immiscible electrolyte solutions, especially the membraneless separation of redox active species and ability to electrify certain liquidâ liquid interfaces. We critically evaluate the recent development of membraneless redox flow batteries based on biphasic systems, where one redox couple is confined to an immiscible ionic liquid or organic solvent phase, and the other couple to an aqueous phase. Common to all solar ECS devices are the abilities to harvest light, leading to photo-induced charge carrier separation, and separate the products of the photo-reaction, minimising recombination. We summarise recent progress towards achieving this accepted solar ECS design using immiscible electrolyte solutions in photo-ionic cells, to generate redox fuels, and biphasic â batchâ water splitting, to generate solar fuels.
Supervisor
Description
peer-reviewed
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Current Opinion in Electrochemistry;21, pp. 100-108
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Funding Information
European Research Council (ERC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Irish Research Council (IRC), European Union (EU), Academy of Finland