Events Calendar

Speaker: Josh Bailey, Queens University Belfast

Title: Towards Reliable, Customisable, and Sustainable Flow Batteries

Abstract: Global interest in long-duration energy storage (LDES) is growing rapidly, driven by the need for energy storage solutions that can support large-scale applications such as grid stabilisation and the integration of intermittent renewable energy generation from wind and solar. Flow batteries (FB) are a promising candidate LDES technology that will likely play a significant role in our transition to net zero, given their independent scaling of energy and power, deep discharge capability, and better safety credentials versus lithium-ion battery technologies. Nevertheless, research and development into FBs remains a necessity to improve performance, durability, and sustainability, particularly with regards to increasing energy and power density, selecting stable electrolyte-membrane combinations, and ensuring low criticality of materials. In academic laboratories across the world, a wide range of chemistries, configurations, and applications are being explored. However, a lack of standardisation of cells and testing protocols continues to hinder fair comparisons of FB systems, which has been highlighted by a lack of transparency in methodology and in the measurement and/or reporting of uncertainties.[1] At the same time, as we look to proliferate these electrochemical energy storage technologies and produce them at scale, it is vital that we consider the availability and circularity of the materials involved so that we avoid creating new environmental problems. In this talk, I will present work carried out at Queen’s University Belfast focusing on the repeatability of single-cell flow battery testing and then expand to the work carried out across 7 global institutions that probes the replicability of impedance, polarisation, and charge-discharge testing. This work has been enabled by our 3D-printed flow frame platform[2] that has also been instrumental in our studies of all-iron electrolytes[3] in our quest for a more sustainable alternative to the incumbent all-vanadium technology. Through the combination of these investigations, we are steadily moving towards more reliable, customisable, and sustainable flow battery systems. [1] G. Smith and E. J. F. Dickinson, “Error, reproducibility and uncertainty in experiments for electrochemical energy technologies,” Dec. 01, 2022, Nature Research. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34594-x. [2] H. O’Connor et al., “An open-source platform for 3D-printed redox flow battery test cells†,” Sustain Energy Fuels, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 1529–1540, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.1039/d1se01851e. [3] J. J. Bailey et al., “All-iron redox flow battery in flow-through and flow-over set-ups-the critical role of cell configuration,” Energy Advances, 2024, doi: 10.1039/d4ya00179f.

Bio: Josh Bailey is a Vice-Chancellor Illuminate Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, focusing on the implementation of ionic liquids in fuel cells. His interests span fuel cells and electrolysers, as well as lithium-ion, solid-state, and flow batteries - designing novel electrodes, electrolytes, and membranes. He uses physical experiments and computational simulations to optimise performance, durability, and the sustainability of such devices. He has a particular interest in repeatability, replicability, and reproducibility of data collection and analysis in the electrochemical device. He has an h-index of 23 with >40 publications on sustainable materials. He is a Member of the RSC, Associate Fellow of the HEA, and a Community Board member of RSC Materials Horizons. He is co-Director of a non-profit sustainability education company, PPL PWR, delivering public-facing green technology workshops.