Numerical Simulation of Impact of Different Redox Couples on Flow Characteristics and Electrochemical Performance of Deep Eutectic Solvent Electrolyte Flow Batteries

A comprehensive, three-dimensional, macro-scale model was developed to simulate non-aqueous deep eutectic solvent (DES) electrolyte flow batteries. The model’s feasibility was validated by comparing the simulated polarization data with the experimental results. Utilizing this model, the work reported here compared the flow characteristics and electrochemical properties of electrolytes with different redox couples within the porous electrodes of the batteries. Despite variations in the active materials, the distribution of the electrolyte flow rate showed uniformity due to consistent electrode and flow channel designs, indicating that the structural design of electrodes and channels has a more significant impact on electrolyte flow than the physicochemical properties of the electrolytes themselves. This study also highlighted that TEMPO and Quinoxaline DES electrolytes exhibited less flow resistance and more uniform concentration distributions, which helped reduce overpotentials and enhance battery energy efficiency. Furthermore, this research identified that the highest average overpotentials occurred near the membrane for all the redox couples, demonstrating that electrochemical reactions in DES electrolyte flow batteries primarily occur in the region close to the membrane. This finding underscores the importance of optimizing active redox ions transport in electrolytes to enhance electrochemical reactions in the proximal membrane region, which is crucial for improving flow battery performance.