Activated Carbon‐Anchored 3D Carbon Network for Bromine Activity and its Enhanced Electrochemical Performance in Zn−Br₂ Hybrid Redox Flow Battery

Abstract

Abstract There has been a huge demand on the usage of biomass‐derived activated carbon as an electrode and electrocatalyst for energy storage and conversion applications owing to its abundance, high surface area, good chemical stability, low cost, and eco‐friendliness. Herein, we report for the first time, activated carbon (AC) derived from Phyllanthus Emblica Leaves (PEL) (Indian gooseberry) biomass as an electrocatalyst for enhancing the bromine electro‐kinetics. The AC‐anchored graphite felt (AC−GF) showed excellent improvement in the bromine reversibility, which reinforces the overall performance of the zinc bromine redox flow battery (ZBRFB). Specifically, the AC−GF showed significant improvement in voltage efficiency. The flow cell employing AC in the positive electrode showed high Coulombic, voltage, and energy efficiency of 99, 83 and 82 %, respectively at a current density of 30 mA cm −2 . Furthermore, the cell showed good cycle performance with 96.43 % Coulombic efficiency retention even after 100 cycles. Thus, the significant improvement in the cell performance unveils the good electrochemical/catalytic activity of the AC and therefore can be used as a potential low‐cost electrocatalyst in ZBRFB.