Current Research Progress on Electrode Materials for All-vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Authors

Wenqi Wang, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Jie Jin, Urumqi railway station China Railway Urumqi Group Co.,Ltd., Urumqi，830009，China.
Limin Wang, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China.Follow
Xinyue Liu, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Tao Cheng, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Yong Hou, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Han Xue, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Zhiyu Wang, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Bo Liu, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Jiabao Liu, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Xubin Lu, School of Materials Science and Engineering,Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.Follow

Document Type

Review

Corresponding Author(s)

Limin Wang(limin.w@163.com);
Xubin Lu(xubin.lu@mail.lzjtu.cn)

Abstract

The redox active species in all-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) reside in the electrolyte, while the heterogeneous reactions occur on the electrode surface; the electrode is therefore the decisive platform for dynamic adsorption, electron transfer, and ion conversion, especially for the VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ and V²⁺/V³⁺ couples. One of the major challenges for VRFB is the slow charge transfer in VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ and V²⁺/V³⁺ reactions, mainly caused by poor catalytic performance of electrodes and weak adhesion of catalysts to electrodes. This review focuses on the key challenges and recent advancements in VRFB. It begins with an overview of VRFB, including their history, working principles, applications, and the advantages and limitations associated with their use. One persistent, under-addressed trade-off is that strategies that boost apparent activity (e.g., high defect density or surface area) can degrade adhesion and cycling durability under flow shear; activity should therefore be co-reported with adhesion and durability descriptors. Addressing this trade-off is critical to improving overall efficiency and stability in VRFB systems. A comprehensive discussion of various electrode materials is presented, categorized by their properties and preparation methods. Special emphasis is placed on the synthesis and application of carbon-based electrode materials, highlighting their potential in addressing these challenges. Finally, we map materials-level gains to stack- and system-level metrics, and outline strategies, with a focus on bifunctional and in-situ grown catalysts, for achieving high-efficiency, high-stability VRFBs.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Vanadium redox flow batteries; Electrode material; Carbon-based nanomaterials; Defect-tailor

DOI

10.61558/2993-074X.3589

Online Date

10-13-2025

Recommended Citation

Wenqi Wang, Jie Jin, Limin Wang, Xinyue Liu, Tao Cheng, Yong Hou, Han Xue, Zhiyu Wang, Bo Liu, Jiabao Liu, Xubin Lu. Current Research Progress on Electrode Materials for All-vanadium Redox Flow Batteries[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, doi: 10.61558/2993-074X.3589.