“Redox-Active Ligands: A Design Principle for Flow Battery Electrolytes”
Abstract: Public and private investments in energy storage have created a 100 billion dollar industry, and this industry is now converging on grid-scale applications due to the urgent need for resource conservation and our ever-increasing global demand for energy. Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are an emerging method for grid-scale energy storage, being used for peak-shaving and renewable energy incorporation into the grid.
Our laboratory set out to develop the next generation of RFB electrolytes with targets of single-potential, multielectron redox events. To achieve this goal, we have exploited the biomimetic property of redox non-innocence, which allows the metal and peripheral ligands of a complex to store equivalents of electrons separately without perturbing the central metal atom’s chemical bonds. The responsibility for electrochemical events is no longer shouldered by the central metal atom, and is instead, shared by the components of the complex. This feature allows for superior stability during electrochemical cycling. Additionally, ligands can operate independently and simultaneously, yielding multielectron redox events.
Bio: Dr. Mitch Anstey obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (2009) and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia (2004). He held the position of Principal Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories until 2016 when he joined the Chemistry faculty at Davidson College. He has led several research teams and initiatives on projects such as small molecule activation, radiation detection, hydrogen storage, and, most recently, electrical energy storage.
Thursday, October 13, 2016 @ 3:30 PM in Burson 115
