Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026
06:53
Author Spotlight: Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
2.8K
Redox Active Colloids as Discrete Energy Storage Carriers
Elena C Montoto1,2, Gavvalapalli Nagarjuna1,2, Jingshu Hui1,3
1Joint Center for Energy Storage Research , United States.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|September 16, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed novel redox active colloids (RACs) for energy storage. These modular polymer spheres offer stable, efficient cycling in batteries and flow systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Advanced battery materials are crucial for renewable energy storage.
- Existing organic materials face challenges like crossover and stability.
- Need for versatile, modular materials compatible with various battery designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new class of materials: redox active colloids (RACs).
- To demonstrate the modularity and stability of RACs.
- To explore RACs' potential in energy storage applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of cross-linked polymer spheres (RACs) with controlled diameters (80-800 nm).
- Electrochemical characterization of RACs as single particles, films, and dispersions.
- Testing viologen-based RACs in bulk electrolysis and ferrocene/viologen RACs in a nonaqueous redox flow battery.
Main Results:
- Viologen-based RACs achieved 99% capacity retention and 99 ± 1% Coulombic efficiency over 50 cycles.
- Efficient cycling demonstrated via long-distance intraparticle charge transfer.
- Successful operation of a nonaqueous redox flow battery using ferrocene and viologen RACs with a size-selective separator.
Conclusions:
- Redox active colloids offer a versatile and stable alternative to small-molecule organic battery materials.
- The modular design and colloidal nature of RACs enable new energy storage solutions.
- RACs present a promising platform for next-generation renewable energy storage systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Redox Reactions
1.3K
Redox reactions are vital biochemical processes that underpin energy metabolism in cells. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons between molecules, occurring in tandem as oxidation and reduction. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, while reduction denotes their gain. This coupling ensures the seamless flow of electrons through metabolic pathways. For example, in bacterial metabolism, glucose undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is simultaneously reduced to...
1.3K
01:24Redox Reactions
59.2K
Oxidation-reduction or redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one molecule or atom to another. When an atom gains an electron, another atom must lose an electron, meaning oxidation and reduction must occur together. Since the redox occurs in pairs, the atom that gets oxidized is also called the reducing agent or reductant, and the atom that is reduced is also called the oxidizing agent or oxidant. A straightforward way to remember the definitions of oxidation and reduction is...
59.2K
01:19Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
9.9K
Energy production within a cell involves many coordinated chemical pathways. Most of these pathways are combinations of oxidation and reduction reactions, which occur at the same time. An oxidation reaction strips an electron from an atom in a compound, and the addition of this electron to another compound is a reduction reaction. Because oxidation and reduction usually occur together, these pairs of reactions are called redox reactions.
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
9.9K
01:23Redox Equilibria: Overview
1.7K
A reduction-oxidation reaction is commonly called a redox reaction. In a redox reaction, electrons are transferred from one species to another rather than being shared between or among atoms. The reducing agent or reductant is the species that loses electrons and gets oxidized in the process. The species that gains electrons and gets reduced in the process is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Redox reactions are represented as two separate equations called half-reactions, where one equation...
1.7K
01:24Electron Carriers
93.0K
Electron carriers can be thought of as electron shuttles. These compounds can easily accept electrons (i.e., be reduced) or lose them (i.e., be oxidized). They play an essential role in energy production because cellular respiration is contingent on the flow of electrons.
Over the many stages of cellular respiration, glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. Electron carriers pick up electrons lost by glucose in these reactions, temporarily storing and releasing them into the electron...
Over the many stages of cellular respiration, glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. Electron carriers pick up electrons lost by glucose in these reactions, temporarily storing and releasing them into the electron...
93.0K
01:29Role of Reduced Coenzymes NADH and FADH₂
18.6K
The energy released from the breakdown of the chemical bonds within nutrients can be stored either through the reduction of electron carriers or in the bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In living systems, a small class of compounds functions as mobile electron carriers, molecules that bind to and shuttle high-energy electrons between compounds in pathways. The principal electron carriers that will be considered originate from the B vitamin group and are derivatives of nucleotides; they are...
18.6K