Harvard College

Kaixiang Lin

Roy Gerald Gordon

Michael J Aziz

Alan Aspuru-Guzik

Michael S Marshak

Liuchuan Tong

Brian Huskinson

Suleyman Er

Changwon Suh

David Gator Kwabi

Yunlong Ji

We disclose quinone compounds and related species (Formula I) that possess significant advantages when used as a redox active material in a battery, e.g., a redox flow battery. In particular, the compounds provide redox flow batteries (RFBs) with extremely high capacity retention. For example, RFBs of the invention can be cycled for 500 times with negligible loss of capacity, and such batteries could be employed for years of service. Thus, the invention provides a high efficiency, long cycle life redox flow battery with reasonable power cost, low energy cost, and all the energy scaling advantages of a flow battery.

Quinones having high capacity retention for use as electrolytes in aqueous redox flow batteries

The invention provides an electrochemical cell based on a new chemistry for a flow battery for large scale, e.g., gridscale, electrical energy storage. Electrical energy is stored chemically in quinone molecules having multiple oxidation states, e.g., three or more. During charging of the battery, the quinone molecules at one electrode are oxidized by emitting electrons and protons, and the quinone molecules at the other electrode are reduced by accepting electrons and protons. These reactions are reversed to deliver electrical energy. The invention also provides additional high and low potential quinones that are useful in rechargeable batteries.

Quinone and hydroquinone based flow battery

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Kaixiang Lin