Collaborative Research: Redox Electrolyte Co-design for Enhanced Solubility and Stability (RECESS)

The mission of this proposal is to develop new aqueous-based electrolytes for redox flow batteries, technologies of interest for large-scale energy storage applications. New redox-active organometallic molecules will be synthesized and characterized using many established electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Quantum chemical calculations will be used to guide the synthesis of new molecules. A feature of this proposal will be to advance the development of an automated electrochemistry laboratory, imbuing semi-autonomous capabilities and the ability to investigate variable electrolyte classes. To address the questions in this proposal, expertise in quantum chemistry, electrochemistry, robotic experimentation, and batteries (Risko and Kaur; University of Kentucky) will partner with experts in electrochemistry, spectroscopy, and synthesis (Shaw and Daly; University of Iowa).