A special hybrid battery not only powers devices, but also produces chemicals used in pharmaceuticals.
According to the news of SciTechDaily, researchers at Tsinghua University in China have developed a hybrid battery that releases valuable chemicals such as furfuryl alcohol and furoic acid. It turns out that scientists have succeeded in creating a kind of dual-use system that combines the functions of rechargeable and flow-through redox batteries, using special catalysts to convert biomass-derived furfural into useful chemicals while the battery is charging or discharging.
Furfural is a small molecule composed of pentose sugars commonly found in agricultural biomass and is considered an important chemical from which a number of intermediates can be obtained for various applications. It can be oxidized to furoic acid, which is a food preservative and an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and flavors. After reduction, furfural is converted to furfuryl alcohol, which is a precursor to resins, flavors and drugs.
Scientists have managed to “switch” between two types of energy storage: conventional, standard batteries and flow batteries, which store electricity in chemicals, while chemical products switch between the two states and remain inside the battery. Combining both concepts, the researchers examined the extent to which such batteries are capable of producing additional chemicals to store or provide energy.
The success in the experiment, which the scientists describe in the published study, was achieved by using a bifunctional metal catalyst for the anode. Made from a monoatomic alloy of rhodium and copper, this catalyst seamlessly converted the electrolyte-containing furfural into furfuryl alcohol when the battery was charged, and furoic acid was formed when the battery was discharged. The researchers identified a cobalt-doped nickel hydroxide material as the cathode, similar to the cathode materials used in conventional nickel-zinc or nickel-metal hydride batteries.
This assembly resulted in a truly dual-use battery system: after charging (using a solar panel), four hybrid batteries in series continuously produce furfuryl alcohol and furoic acid during charging, powering a variety of devices, including LED lights and smartphones. can provide.
It is interesting that 0.7 kg of furfuryl alcohol is produced when 1 kWh of energy is stored, and 1 kg of furoic acid is produced when 0.5 kWh of power is supplied to the system (where the refrigerator can run for several hours). is produced. However, furfural is constantly fed into the system and its products must be separated from the electrolyte. SciTechDaily states that this hybrid concept of scientists is a step towards increasing the cost-effectiveness of rechargeable batteries.
Source: Focus
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