Flame modified carbon-based electrodes as positive electrode for high performance of hydrogen/iron battery
Xiong Dan,
Wei Li,
Fandi Ning,
Qinglin Wen,
Can He,
Zhi Chai,
Xiaochun Zhou
Affiliations
Xiong Dan
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Wei Li
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Fandi Ning
Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Qinglin Wen
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Can He
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Zhi Chai
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
Xiaochun Zhou
School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China; Corresponding author at: School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
The electrode is a core component that affects the overall performance of the hydrogen/iron redox flow battery. To address the drawbacks associated with the limited electrochemical activity and fewer active sites of the carbon-based electrode, this study employs a straightforward and effective flame method to synthesize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on carbon paper and NiO/CNT composite on graphite felt. The CNT on the modified carbon-based electrode contains many hydrophilic and oxygen-containing functional groups, greatly improving the hydrophilicity of the electrode, thereby increasing the electrochemical surface area. The modified carbon-based electrode exhibits better electrochemical activity due to the CNT or NiO/CNT providing more active sites. At 50 mA cm−2, the energy efficiency of pristine carbon paper and graphite felt is 60.8% and 52.4%, respectively, while the energy efficiency of the modified carbon paper and graphite felt reached 75.3% and 80.5%, respectively. The modified carbon-based electrode achieves a 100% coulombic efficiency, with no significant degradation in energy efficiency after running for 300 cycles, demonstrating excellent stability. This study not only investigates the performance of graphite felt electrodes in hydrogen/iron batteries but also proposes a flame method for preparing CNT-modified carbon-based electrodes for high-performance hydrogen/iron batteries.
