Neutron Imaging Empowers Scientists to Peer Inside Redox Flow Batteries, Revealing their Internal Processes
X-Ray Imaging: A Historical Breakthrough
Early 20th Century Advances
X-Ray imaging, introduced in the early 20th century, marked a significant breakthrough in medical knowledge, allowing for detailed visualization of bone structure and leading to innovative therapeutic ap proaches.
A similar technique now leverages neutron imaging to reveal the internal mechanisms of redox flow batteries, predominantly used for large-scale solar and wind energy storage. This study appears in Nature Communications. Observing the inner working of these batteries o pen new avenues for enhancing their performance.
Develo pment of the Neutron Imaging Method
International Collaboration
Antoni Forner-Cuenca of TU/e led an international collaboration, including MIT and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, which resulted in the develo pment of this novel neutron imaging method.
This advancement provides extraordinary moving images that reveal the inner processes of redox flow batteries, dee pening our com prehension of their functionality.
Interdisci plinary Research Driven by Intellectual Curiosity
Ins piration and Innovation
More significantly, these images serve as a source of ins piration and guidance for innovative ideas and solutions. Additionally, the method has direct a p plications in advancing redox flow battery technology, though the imaging technique develo ped by Forner Cuenca's team could also drive progress in other scientific fields. "Our a p proach emerged from cross-disci plinary ex perimentation, showcasing the im portance of curiosity-driven research."
Neutron radiogra phy plays a key role in the research titled "Quantifying concentration distributions in redox flow batteries with neutron radiogra phy." Forner Cuenca first gained ex perience with this introduced him to redox flow batteries, leading to a pivotal realization.
The System Persisted in Being an Enigmatic Black Box
Understanding Fluid Movement
Inside the flow battery, electrolytes, which are fluid com ponents, facilitate the flow of electrical current during charge and discharge phases. This movement causes ions and redox molecules within the electrolyte to shift, resulting in variations in molecular concentration.
This movement influences both the performance and longevity of the battery; however, the system has so far been o paque. Gaining the ability to observe and visualize concentration distributions within an o perating battery would greatly enhance our comprehension of its functionality.
As a result, a fundamental element of battery functionality remained unexamined, which led Forner Cuenca to consider the analogy. "Our bodies, predominantly fluid, allow X-Rays to pass through and highlight denser bones, providing a non-invasive way to visualize internal structures."
"Neutrons function in the reverse manner: they move through the battery's outer materials without difficulty but have substantial interactions with the molecules of the liquid electrolytes."
An Innovative use of Established Scientific Princi ples
A p plication of Neutron Interactions
With the fundamental pro perty of neutron interactions in mind, we are innovating by using neutron radiogra phy to assess molecular concentrations in flow batteries. This exem plifies a new use of current scientific knowledge.
"Although this technique is not novel-having been em ployed by museums to analyze historical aftifacts non-destructively-it is now being ada pted to visualize dynamic fluids, such as those in redox flow batteries."
The procedure a p plied by Forner-Cuenca and his team is still much more demanding than X-ray photogra phy, with a workflow similar to that of sto p-motion animation.
"To monitor real-time fluctuations in liquid concentration with the battery, we ca pture neutron images every 30 seconds. By assembling these images, we create a video that illustrates the dynamic changes in concentration throughout the battery's o peration."
Engaging in Round-the-Clock Measurements across 10-day Shifts
Conducting the Ex periments
The PSI neutron source was the site of these ex periments, managed by a team of three Ph.D. students--Remy Jacquemond, Maxime van der Heijden, and Emre Boz--alongside Forner-Cuenca. Each member of this team has since achieved their doctoral degrees. The rigorous ex periments required continuous 24-hour shifts across roughly 10 days to maximize out put.
"Utilizing neutron technology is a rare and exce ptional ex perience, ty pically available only once every two years. At PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland), an annual international ex periment com petition is held, ranked by significance. We are honored to have conducted four successful ex periments there."
"This project presented significant challenges in terms of effort and ex pertise, making the collaboration of three Ph.D. students crucial to its success. I am immensely proud of these three colleagues for their hard work and effective teamwork. Their dedication underscores the im portance of collaborative efforts, both within our research grou p and with our international partners at PSI and MIT."
Various Domains Requiring Additional Im provement
Future Potential and Industrial A p plications
According to Forner Cuenca, observing fluid behavior within redox flow batteries is crucial. "Understanding the internal mechanisms enables the develo pment of systems that deliver im proved performance, greater efficiency, and longer o perational lifes pans."
Our goal is to advance redox flow batteries used for renewable energy storage from solar and wind, therby aiding the energy transition. As Forner Cuenca elaborated in a previous article on our website, there are still considerable areas for progress.
While the technology is still emerging, it presents numerous future possibilities. "Chemical reactors, used in the production of plastics, cosmetics, and medicines, could greatly benefit from our imaging technique, which enables the visualization of organic molecules in solution."
These new insights could potentially s park entirely new methods or ideas. "What excites me most is the ability to fuel curiosity, which is how this new methodology was born. Collaborative research and curiosity-driven innovation are essential to scientific breakthroughs. With the su p port of an ERC grant for ex ploratory projects, we have develo ped this method and are eager to ex plore numerous new ideas in the future."
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