The Investigation of the Gas Diffusion Layer in a Zinc-Air Flow Battery
Mentor 1
Jingyu Si
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
5-4-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 3:30 PM
Description
The zinc-air flow battery is one of the most promising methods of large scale energy storage that is currently being developed. The benefits of the zinc-air battery combined with the benefits of the flow battery allow for a battery that is low cost, has a high energy density, and has a long cycle life. These characteristics allow the zinc-air flow battery to compete with other emerging battery technology in today’s marketplace. Our experiments investigated the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in the zinc-air flow battery. The GDL is a porous surface that supports the electrochemical reaction between the zinc slurry and air inside of the battery. GDLs are made by pressing and rolling a mixture of catalyst, graphite and PTFE binder into a thin film. Our experiments investigated the effects of changing the ratio between catalyst and graphite and changing the amount of PTFE binder used to make the GDL. The thickness after the initial press for the GDL is around 0.34 mm. The effect of reducing the thickness to 0.2 mm and 0.15 mm was also researched. The thickness should not go below 0.15 mm as discovered during our failed attempts at making the electrodes with the much thinner GDL. Electrodes are made from the GDL, a layer of nickel mesh, carbon cloth, and PTFE paper. Our results come from analyzing the performance of the electrodes in the battery during testing.
The Investigation of the Gas Diffusion Layer in a Zinc-Air Flow Battery
Union Wisconsin Room
The zinc-air flow battery is one of the most promising methods of large scale energy storage that is currently being developed. The benefits of the zinc-air battery combined with the benefits of the flow battery allow for a battery that is low cost, has a high energy density, and has a long cycle life. These characteristics allow the zinc-air flow battery to compete with other emerging battery technology in today’s marketplace. Our experiments investigated the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in the zinc-air flow battery. The GDL is a porous surface that supports the electrochemical reaction between the zinc slurry and air inside of the battery. GDLs are made by pressing and rolling a mixture of catalyst, graphite and PTFE binder into a thin film. Our experiments investigated the effects of changing the ratio between catalyst and graphite and changing the amount of PTFE binder used to make the GDL. The thickness after the initial press for the GDL is around 0.34 mm. The effect of reducing the thickness to 0.2 mm and 0.15 mm was also researched. The thickness should not go below 0.15 mm as discovered during our failed attempts at making the electrodes with the much thinner GDL. Electrodes are made from the GDL, a layer of nickel mesh, carbon cloth, and PTFE paper. Our results come from analyzing the performance of the electrodes in the battery during testing.
