The development of various redox-flow batteries for the storage of fluctuating renewable energy has intensified in recent years because of their peculiar ability to be scaled separately in terms of energy and power, and therefore potentially to reduce the costs of energy storage. This has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of publications on redox-flow batteries. This was a motivation to present a comprehensive and critical overview of the features of this type of batteries, focusing mainly on the chemistry of electrolytes and introducing a thorough systematic classification to reveal their potential for future development.

The Chemistry of Redox-Flow Batteries.

A novel single flow zinc–bromine battery with improved energy density

In this review we discuss the recent discoveries in polyhalide anion chemistry with the main focus on polybromide, -chloride, and -fluoride anions. Based on novel synthetic strategies either in ionic liquids or in neat halogens several new polyhalides of bromine and chlorine were synthesized. Beyond these discoveries the chemistry of polyfluoride monoanions is reviewed. Such species were investigated under cryogenic conditions at 4 K in conjunction with quantum-chemical calculations. In addition to these bonding and structural discussions, an overview of possible applications of such polyhalide anions is provided.

Recent Discoveries of Polyhalogen Anions – from Bromine to Fluorine

Improved electrolyte for zinc-bromine flow batteries

This Review deals with the evolving field of polyhalogen chemistry, specifically polyhalogen anions (polyhalides). In addition to a historical outline, current progress in synthetic approaches towards the formation of polyfluorides, polychlorides, polybromides, and polyinterhalides is also illustrated. The structural diversity of polyhalides has substantially increased in the past decade, especially for polychlorides and polybromides, which are commonly characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and quantum-chemical calculations. Polyfluorides have been examined by sophisticated state-of-the-art quantum-chemical calculations and investigated spectroscopically in noble gas matrix-isolation experiments under cryogenic conditions at 4 K. The bonding in such polyhalide systems is also discussed. The last Section deals with applications of polyhalides in halogenation reactions and electrochemistry as well as their use as reactive ionic liquids, emphasizing the promising future of polyhalogen chemistry.

H. Mikosch

Papers

Raman spectroscopic study of the bromine storing complex phase in a zinc-flow battery