Metal Chelate Electrolytes for Soluble High-Voltage Flow Batteries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrolyte formulations for redox flow batteries, such as those using metal-EDTA complexes, suffer from low voltage and energy efficiency, high material costs, and poor solubility, limiting their widespread adoption for grid-scale energy storage.
Innovation Solution
The use of metal chelates like chromium, manganese, or iron complexed with chelating agents like PDTA, BDTA, DTPA, or NTA, which provide higher solubility, redox kinetics, and stability, allowing for the creation of high-voltage and high-performance flow batteries by excluding water coordination with metal ions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If metal-EDTA complexes are used in electrolyte formulations, then the flow battery can operate, but the voltage efficiency and energy efficiency are low (around 7%)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the electrolyte by replacing EDTA with alternative chelating agents such as NTA, DTPA, HEDTA, or IDA. This parameter change in the chelate structure fundamentally alters the metal-chelate complex properties, resulting in improved voltage efficiency and energy efficiency while maintaining operational functionality.
2Reliability
If expensive materials like vanadium are used, then the flow battery achieves good performance, but the material cost becomes prohibitive for wide scale adoption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes expensive vanadium materials with cheaper alternative metal-chelate complexes that can achieve comparable performance. By using abundant metals combined with cost-effective chelating agents, the electrolyte formulation becomes economically viable for large-scale deployment while maintaining necessary battery performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material composition parameters by exploring alternative metal-chelate combinations that reduce dependence on expensive materials like vanadium. This parameter change in material selection directly addresses the cost issue while preserving functional performance through optimized chelate chemistry.
3Quantity of substance
If the metal chelate concentration is increased to improve energy density, then the state of charge increases, but the solubility and stability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical structure parameters of the chelating agent to achieve optimal solubility and stability characteristics. By selecting chelates with specific molecular structures and properties, the electrolyte can maintain high metal chelate concentrations necessary for high energy density while preserving solution stability and preventing precipitation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These metal chelate electrolytes enhance energy and voltage efficiency, enabling flow batteries to achieve up to 80% state of charge with 100% current efficiency and peak power densities above 0.5 W/cm², while reducing material costs and improving long-term stability.
Implementation Method 1
metal chelates like chromium, manganese, or iron complexed with chelating agents like PDTA, BDTA, DTPA, or NTA
Implementation Method 2
metal ions in a flow battery are complexed with a chelating agent to form a metal chelate
Implementation Method 3
electrochemical devices such as redox flow batteries (RFB)
Data Source
AI summary
Metal chelates, methods of making the metal chelate, electrolyte formulations comprising metal chelates, and electrochemical devices for energy storage using or including at least one metal chelate are disclosed. The disclosure also relates to a method to provide a metal to an electrolyte in a flow battery to plate an electrode while the electrode is in the battery.