Research Progress of Carbon Based Composite Bipolar Plate Materials for Redox Flow Batteries

doi:10.19894/j.issn.1000-0518.240125

Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (10): 1381-1398.DOI: 10.19894/j.issn.1000-0518.240125

• Review •

Research Progress of Carbon Based Composite Bipolar Plate Materials for Redox Flow Batteries

Xiao-Ying YANG¹, Bao-Hua ZHANG¹, Ye-Ying LAN¹, Yu-Wei ZHANG¹^,²()

^1.Center for Advanced Analytical Science，Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Sensing Materials & Devices，Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Photoelectric Sensing Materials and Devices，School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering，Guangzhou University，Guangzhou 510006，China
^2.Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biomedicine，GDMPA Key Laboratory for Process Control and Quality Evaluation of Chiral Pharmaceuticals，School of Chemistry，South China Normal University，Guangzhou 510006，China

Received:2024-04-15 Accepted:2024-08-20 Published:2024-10-01 Online:2024-10-29
Contact: Yu-Wei ZHANG
About author:ywzhang@scnu.edu.cn
Supported by:
the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22122402);the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(2021B1515020048);the Enterprise Research and Development Project(2022124)

Abstract

Abstract:

With the rapid development of renewable energy， redox flow battery， as a renewable energy storage system with high capacity， good flexibility， strong scalability and long cycle life， has attracted much attention in the industry. The bipolar plate， as an important part of redox flow battery stack， plays the role of supporting electrode， conducting current， connecting battery， supporting stack and separating positive and negative electrolyte. Due to the harsh working environment， the bipolar plate should have the characteristics of high electrical conductivity， good mechanical properties， good corrosion resistance， low permeability and chemical stability. Therefore， the current development of low-cost high-performance bipolar plates has become one of the key elements of the development of flow batteries. This paper focuses on the recent development status of carbon composite bipolar plates in redox flow batteries since 2010， including the influence of different flow field designs， different carbon-based materials and polymer materials on the conductivity， mechanical properties， permeability resistance， corrosion resistance and single battery performance. Finally， based on the current development requirements and key technical bottlenecks of carbon based composite bipolar plates， a brief analysis and outlook are made.

Key words: Redox flow battery, Bipolar plate, Carbon-based composites

CLC Number:

O632

Xiao-Ying YANG, Bao-Hua ZHANG, Ye-Ying LAN, Yu-Wei ZHANG. Research Progress of Carbon Based Composite Bipolar Plate Materials for Redox Flow Batteries[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2024, 41(10): 1381-1398.

Figures/Tables 12

Fig.1 Schematic drawings of redox flow battery

Fig.2 Soft layer method：（A） compression molding；（B） surface of the fabricated specimen［20］

Fig.3 Schematic of the different types of flow fields （FF） used in the VRFB

Fig.4 Schematic of （A） hierarchical interdigitated flow field design and （B） conventional interdigitated flow field design［27］

Fig.5 （A） In-plane and （B） through-plane electrical conductivity measurement setup for BPPs

Fig.6 Electrical conductivity of the composites. Effect on （A） major filler types versus total filler contents， in which minor filler contents were fixed to 6%， and （B） minor filler types versus total filler contents （KB： ketjenblack carbon）［36］

Fig.7 Schematic diagram of the device for measuring a gas permeability［46］

Fig.8 Schematic diagram of fabrication process of the 3D-graphite/epoxy composite BP［56］

Fig.9 Charge/discharge efficiencies of the carbon/PE composite BP with CFE integration and the conventional graphite bipolar plate［61］

Fig.10 （A） Cycling performance of a VRFB single cell equipped with current collectors of the PP-elastomer/PP/carbon black/carbon fiber composite at a current density of 70 mA/cm2；（B） Cycling performance of a VRFB cell stack equipped with current collectors of the PP-elastomer/PP/carbon black/carbon fiber composite at a current density of 50 mA/cm2［63］

Fig.11 Cycling performance of a VRFB cell stack equipped with graphite current collectors at a current density of 50 mA/cm2［63］

Fig.12 Single cell test results of spread-tow， UD， and commercial graphite bipolar plates. （A） Representative charge/discharge graphs；（B） Energy efficiencies， coulombic efficiencies and voltage efficiencies［66］

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Research Progress of Carbon Based Composite Bipolar Plate Materials for Redox Flow Batteries

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