Burgos University at BeLi2024
On 1-6 September2024, the International Symposium on Beyond Li-Ion Batteries 2024 (BeLI24) took place in Padova, Italy.
Rubén Rubio-Presa from Burgos University participated with a presentation entitled “Stability Enhancement of Viologen Derivatives for Redox Flow Batteries by Molecular Engineering”. This contribution focused on the results of the most recent work conducted at the International Research Center in Critical Raw Materials (ICCRAM) at Burgos University. At the heart of the research is the need to find solutions to replace all-vanadium flow batteries which are considered critical by the EU and US. Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising alternative energy system designed for long-term storage. At ICCRAM, the researchers around Edgar Ventosa, the coordinator of MeBattery, have set out to investigate viologen derivatives as the most promising anolytes, “specifically for neutral media, due to their advantageous combination of suitable redox potential and solubility” as Rubén Rubio-Presa puts it in his presentation’s abstract. The disadvantage: viologen derivatives decompose quickly in the presence of oxygen. Options to enhance stability through molecular engineering were presented at BeLI24.
Rubén Rubio-Presa particularly enjoyed meeting experts from all over the world at BeLI24 and exchanging with them on the latest findings in their research activities focusing on materials and devices for electrochemical energy storage. It also gave him the great opportunity to meet Stanley Whittingham in person, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry!
The abstract is available here.