Progress in Aqueous Anthraquinone Flow Batteries

Date: 2022/06/08 - 2022/06/08

Academic Seminar: Progress in Aqueous Anthraquinone Flow Batteries

Speaker: Dr. Yan Jing, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard

Time: 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., June 8th, 2022 (Beijing Time)

Location: via Feishu

Abstract

To achieve the carbon neutrality by 2060s, long-duration energy storage system is a critical component to effectively utilize wind and solar energy as well as to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Featuring high efficiency, non-flammability, cost-effectiveness, and long-lifetime, aqueous organic redox flow batteries have the potential to be deployed for large-scale electrochemical energy storage in the near future.  In this report, I will highlight the progress of aqueous anthraquinone redox flow batteries towards its commercialization. We increased the aqueous solubility 1 and improved the structural stability 2, 3 of redox-active molecules through molecular engineering strategy; developed an in situ electro-synthetic method towards safe, cost-effective, green and scalable mass production of redox-active molecules 4; electrochemically recomposed the redox-active molecules from the decomposed species in situ and extended the lifetime of aqueous organic flow batteries 5. Last, I will briefly discuss how to further lower cost, extend lifetime, and increase energy density of aqueous organic flow batteries towards commercialization in the future.

Biography

Yan Jing is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard. Dr. Jing obtained his Bachelor degree in Applied Chemistry from University of Science and Technology Beijing, China in 2011, then he moved to U.S. to pursue his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at University of Houston, where he worked with Prof. Yan Yao to develop (non)aqueous organiclithium ion batteries. He then moved from Houston to Boston and joined Prof. Roy G. Gordon and Prof. Michael J. Aziz’s joint groups to develop low-cost, long-lifetime aqueous organic redox flow batteries at Harvard since 2017. His research interests mainly focus on design, synthesis, and characterization of organic redox molecules and the application in electrochemical energy storage systems and CO2 capture. Dr. Jing has authored 28 publications including Nature Chemistry, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, JACS, ACS Energy Letters, Chem, Green Chem., ChemSusChem, etc. and filed 5 US patents. Dr. Jing earned Presidential Fellowship in 2013 at University of Houston. In 2021, invited by all-vanadium redox flow battery pioneer Prof. Maria Skyllas-Kazacos at the University of New South Wales, Dr. Jing, Prof. Aziz and Prof. Gordon co-wrote a book chapter, i.e., flow batteries: aqueous organic flow batteries.