Scientific Achievement
Three dimensional (3D) multi-physics models of porous carbon electrodes are employed to understand the role of electrode microstructure on redox flow battery performance.
Significance and Impact
The experimentally validated lattice Boltzmann model rendered over X-ray microtomographic (Micro-CT) images accurately predicts the electrochemical performance and fluid dynamics for three structurally diverse porous carbon electrodes.
Research Details
- Micro-CT images of carbon paper and cloth electrodes are used as the simulation domain for the lattice Boltzmann model revealing varied pore size distributions across the different three porous materials examined.
- Experiments performed with a kinetically-facile redox couple TEMPO(·/+) in a single electrolyte flow cell that validate the lattice Boltzmann model
- Woven electrodes (cloths) exhibit both high electrochemical performance and low pressure drop as compared to non-woven electrodes (papers)
