Redox flow battery coupled with microbial biofuel cell

• Grant number: 17/15714-0
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal researcher: Frank Nelson Crespilho
• Grantee: Graziela Cristina Sedenho
• Supervisor abroad: Michael J. Aziz
• Home Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/22973-6 - Development of Microbial Fuel Biocells for Bioproduction and Oxidation of Ethanol, BP.DR

Abstract

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are systems that use redox species to store and generate electrical energy. A RFB should be safe and environmentally friendly and have a high energy density, long lifetime, small size, light weight, and low cost. However, to date, no RFB has achieved all of these criteria. Vanadium RFBs are currently the most technologically established RFB system, but this type of system is expensive. Alternatively, organic active materials, such as quinone derivatives and flavin compounds, have been attractive because they are inexpensive, non-toxic, and safe and exhibit desirable electrochemical properties. Despite their great advances, RFBs have the potential for further improvement because no RFB has been developed that can meet all of the criteria listed above. Therefore, additional fundamental and applied research is required. In this context, the main objective of this work is to develop an efficient RFB based on organic active compounds, such as quinones, redox mediators, or enzymatic cofactors, for the construction of a miniaturized system coupled with a renewable energy source, such as a microbial BFC, for recharging. Thus, we are proposing an innovative application for the microbial biofuel cell, which is being developed in PhD research project in Brazil. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CRESPILHO, FRANK N.; SEDENHO, GRAZIELA C.; DE PORCELLINIS, DIANA; KERR, EMILY; GRANADOS-FOCIL, SERGIO; GORDON, ROY G.; AZIZ, MICHAEL J.. Non-corrosive, low-toxicity gel-based microbattery from organic and organometallic molecules. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A, v. 7, n. 43, p. 24784-24787, NOV 21 2019. (17/15714-0, 13/14262-7, 15/22973-6)

SEDENHO, GRAZIELA C.; DE PORCELLINIS, DIANA; JING, YAN; KERR, EMILY; MEJIA-MENDOZA, LUIS MARTIN; VAZQUEZ-MAYAGOITIA, ALVARO; ASPURU-GUZIK, ALAN; GORDON, ROY G.; CRESPILHO, FRANK N.; AZIZ, MICHAEL J.. Effect of Molecular Structure of Quinones and Carbon Electrode Surfaces on the Interfacial Electron Transfer Process. ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS, v. 3, n. 2, p. 1933-1943, FEB 2020. (17/15714-0, 13/14262-7, 15/22973-6)