A joint materials engineering and chemistry research group at the University of Turku has invented novel and promising materials for water-based flow batteries, a crucial technology for energy storage. If commercialized, the discovery could make energy storage more cost-effective and sustainable.
Flow batteries, unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, are designed for stationary energy storage from small to large scale applications.
The flow battery systems can be integrated with renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, allowing the stored energy to be used on demand.
“There are already some battery systems in use in various countries, for example integrated with wind and solar farms. But the technology and materials used in current battery systems are expensive, not environmentally friendly and rely on chemical reactions that require the use of harmful chemicals. They are also mostly based on materials that increase Europe's material dependence on countries such as China and Russia, as the materials used are not sufficiently available in Europe,” explains Doctoral Researcher, specialist chemist Ali Tuna.
The research team of Doctoral Researcher Ali Tuna, Doctoral Researcher Vahid Abbasi and Postdoctoral Researcher. Chanez Maouche under supervision of Professor of Materials Engineering Pekka Peljo has now identified promising new materials for flow battery systems.
What sets this innovation apart from existing flow battery technologies?
According to the researchers the material that they discovered is cost-effective, environmentally friendly and non-toxic. It does not require harmful chemicals to work, and the fluid used in the battery systems is salt water.
The team's breakthrough came from testing novel molecules that had not been previously explored for energy storage applications.
"We came up with the idea that this material might be suitable for batteries, and we started testing the molecules in batteries. We found that it had excellent oxygen resistivity and stability, which means longer battery life and better efficiency. It also had high reversibility and long-term cyclability, which means the battery can be recharged many times without losing capacity," Tuna explains.
"What's also exciting is that Finland and other some EU countries have the mineral resources needed to produce this material domestically, which aligns with Europe’s strategy to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, particularly from China and Russia."
In the picture, from left, Ali Tuna, Chanez Maouche, Vahid Abbasi
The team is also addressing one of the main challenges of renewable energy.
"In Finland, wind power is abundant, but excess energy often goes to waste due to a lack of storage solutions. Our battery technology could store surplus energy generated in summer for use during winter, offering a reliable and long-term solution for energy management. These battery systems can be built for large scale energy storage as well as for small domestic use. And our system is cheaper to build and to maintain the competing systems," Tuna says.
Encouraged by their findings, the researchers realized that the material has significant commercial potential. The team recently filed a patent application for the invention in Finland.
The team is also looking ahead to real-world applications.
"We are now planning to apply for different local and international grants to fund further research and development to refine our technology for large-scale application. Our long-term goal is to eventually bring our energy-storage system to market and create something that would benefit Finland's energy sector," says Tuna.
