Date of Award

12-31-2017

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry/Biological Chemistry

First Advisor

Deyang Qu

Second Advisor

Jonathan Rochford

Third Advisor

Michelle Foster

Abstract

The zinc-air flow battery is a promising new energy storage system designed for large-scale energy storage applications. The zinc-air flow battery combines the leading aspects of both a zinc-air battery (high energy density, stability, and low cost) and a redox flow battery (cycle life, scalability). This combination permits the zinc-air flow battery to compete with the current leading battery technologies in the marketplace. A rechargeable Zn-air flow battery half-cell (discharge) system consisting of a component (reactor) and an automatic control system was designed and fabricated. The discharge component realized a power density of 100mW/ cm2 and a current density of 100mA/cm2 at a flow rate of 10 mL/min (at 1V cut-off voltage). The discharge unit proved to be highly durable, being able to be continuously discharged for 200 hours with little degradation. A morphological study of the zinc particle’s surface showed that a depth of discharge(DoD) of 20% - 30% would be most suitable for the zinc-based rechargeable battery(non-flow). And the DoD state of zinc powder anode should not go beyond 15% in flow system based on full cell discharge test. A Ni/Fe catalytic electrode for the oxygen evolution reaction used in the charging process was developed and tested. The as-prepared porous Ni-Fe nanosheets exhibited superior activity and a high durability in an alkaline media.

Comments

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