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David Kwabi: Building better batteries

With the rise in renewable energy, researchers are looking for ways to keep energy flowing when the Sun doesn't shine or the wind ebbs. Batteries designed for the electrical grid called flow batteries could be the answer.

At U-M, Dr. David Kwabi and his team build flow battery prototypes using different organic molecules. By charging and discharging these experimental batteries, researchers measure the behavior of different molecules and how they impact battery performance to discover better ways to build flow batteries.

Meet David Kwabi

David Kwabi, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan.

 

Flow Batteries

Unlike traditional batteries, flow batteries store energy using electrolytes, liquid solutions containing dissolved chemicals. Stored in external tanks, the electrolytes are pumped through a membrane. Different electrolyte molecules store energy with different degrees of efficiency.

Flow batteries are cost effective and have the potential of storing massive amounts of energy. The larger the tank, the more energy can be stored.

 

Material Matters

At large scale, the cost of a flow battery depends on its electrolyte molecules. Organic molecules, which often come from plants and animals, could someday be the key to accessible, cheap and environmentally friendly energy. 

However, organic molecules are unstable because they decompose. This leads to decreased battery performance, or capacity fade. Kwabi and his team research the behavior of organic molecules.

 

Experiments

The Kwabi Lab builds flow battery prototypes to study capacity fade, or decreased performance, of batteries using different organic molecules. By charging and discharging the batteries, researchers measure the behavior of different electrolyte molecules, and how they impact the performance of flow batteries.

 

Spectroscopy

To understand how its molecular composition changes during a battery cycle, researchers shine light onto an electrolyte to measure how much light is absorbed at each wavelength. This helps them determine the chemical character of the electrolyte solution as the battery is used.

 

Data Analysis

Kwabi relies on a diverse team of collaborators from experimentation to modeling to data analysis. The statistical analysis will help guide the researchers towards the answer they are looking for.

The team includes primary investigator Xun Huan, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan.

 

 

 

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