Relationship between Concentration and Performance of Supporting Electrolyte of Redox Flow Battery Using Polyoxometalate

Herein we present a tested aqueous based redox flow battery (RFB) that employs phosphomolybdic acid and ferrocyanide as the negative and positive active species in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. The different concentrations of NaOH solution, such as 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 M, were prepared for checking the electrochemical properties and stability. The NaOH concentration as a supporting electrolyte in the negative species appears to play an important role in the electrochemical properties of phosphomolybdic acid. Moreover, the optimum value of the concentration is necessary for the best performance. The resistance of the electrolyte decreased with increasing the concentration up to 1.5 M and then increased to 1.6 M. Hence, the decrease in electrolyte resistance appears to greatly influence the energy efnciency, which is improved by increasing the concentration of NaOH. In addition, the 1.5 M NaOH solution appears to be the concentration required for optimum performance.