Advancing Flow Batteries: High Energy Density and Ultra‐Fast Charging via Room‐Temperature Liquid Metal

Traditional lithium-ion batteries face major limitations in terms of energy density, charging rate, and safety, hindering their large-scale application in electric vehicles. To address this, a novel alkaline flow battery featuring a room-temperature liquid metal alloy anode composed of Ga₈₀In₁₀Zn₁₀ has been developed. Owing to its excellent fluidity and electrochemical reactivity, the battery enables ultra-fast “mechanical” charging by injecting the liquid anode, achieving full recharge in under 5 minutes. The battery delivers a high discharge capacity of 317 mAh (corresponding to 635.1 mAh g⁻¹) and maintains an average voltage of 1.1 V during 123-hour continuous operation. To further improve energy efficiency, potassium iodide (KI) was introduced to replace the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a kinetically favorable iodide oxidation reaction, reducing the charging voltage to 1.77 V and boosting energy efficiency to 57%—a 22% improvement over conventional Pt/C–Ir/C systems. This study provides a breakthrough in combining liquid metal and flow battery technologies, offering a promising high-capacity, fast-charging, and safe energy storage strategy for next-generation electric transportation.

December 2024