Electrochemical analysis of nano-electro fuels based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets for vanadium redox flow batteries

The limited energy performance of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) prevents their commercialization on a large scale. Active research is conducted aiming enhancement of electrochemical properties of VRFBs, nanotechnology is constantly penetrating the energy sector with its superior electrochemical properties. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are the two highly sought out nanomaterials in VRFBs performance enhancement research due to their exceptional chemical stability in acid environments. In the current research, electrochemical performance analysis of commercially available MWCNTs and GNPs are performed by their dispersion in base vanadium electrolyte of VRFBs, forming nano-electro fuels. It is concluded from electrochemical characterizations that nano-electro fuels based on MWCNTs and GNPs perform better when compared to conventional electrolytes