Effect of a surface active agent on performance of zinc/bromine redox flow batteries: Improvement in current efficiency and system stability

A sustained decrease in current efficiency (CE) is a commonly observed phenomenon in a zinc/bromine redox flow battery. To circumvent this problem, that is, to improve the CE and system stability of the redox flow battery, a surface active agent (SAA), polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate, is introduced as an additive. To investigate the effect of this SAA on the cell performance, polarization testing is performed and the electrode surface is observed after 32 cycles of charge–discharge testing. Adding the SAA facilitates catholyte mixing, leading to an effective reduction of bromine during discharging.