A brief description of the new type of high energy battery

The Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering of the Chinese University of Hong Kong recently developed a new high-energy zinc iodobromine liquid-flow battery with an energy density of 101 watts per litre, refreshing the current record of the energy density of liquid-flow batteries in water systems. The team expects the battery to be available in the electric car market within five to eight years.

At a recent press conference at CUHK, Assistant Professor Luyijun of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering introduced the principles and advantages of the study and demonstrated them.

Luyijun said that water liquid flow batteries are two kinds of electrolytes that generate electricity through ion exchange. They are safe, environmentally friendly, flexible in system design, and have a long life span of decades. They are a new type of energy storage system with great development potential.

Zinc iodobromine liquid flow batteries use highly soluble zinc iodide as the main active electrolyte raw material, and iodide ions and zinc as positive and negative electrochemical active substances, respectively, Luyijun said. The battery contains some free iodine diions. When charged, iodine ions are stable iodine diions, which are combined with iodine trianions to maintain the circulation of zinc iodobromine liquid flow batteries. However, the function of iodine ions that have lost their freedom as stabilizers is wasted in increasing battery capacity.

Based on this, the research team found that adding bromine ions to iodine solutions can be used as a "substitute" for iodide ions. The combination of bromine ions and iodine diions into iodide bromide ions can also play a stable cyclic role, while released iodide ions can increase battery capacity. After adding iodide ions, the battery energy density was increased to as high as 101 watts per litre, and the battery capacity increased by at least 20 % compared to before the bromine ion was added.

Mr Luyijun said the new energy storage system, which features both Gaohe cycle performance and energy density, was expected to be available in the growing market for electric vehicles within five to eight years. "Electric cars, if they use such batteries, can significantly lower prices and travel longer distances. At the same time, this kind of battery is safer, not afraid of ordinary collisions, and has great benefits for the safety of electric cars. " said Luyijun.

It is reported that the study is part of the "Intelligent Solar Energy Technology: Collection, Storage and Application" research program of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. More than 30 scholars from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong have collaborated to enhance the effectiveness of solar power generation. Since 2014, the team has received a grant of HK$ 60.33 million from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

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