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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

A Protocol for Electrochemical Evaluations and State of Charge Diagnostics of a Symmetric Organic Redox Flow Battery
Published on: February 13, 2017
Bis(diisopropylamino)cyclopropenium-arene Cations as High Oxidation Potential and High Stability Catholytes for
Yichao Yan1,2, Thomas P Vaid1,2, Melanie S Sanford1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.
Abstract:
This Article describes the development of 1,2-bis(diisopropylamino)-3-cyclopropenylium-functionalized (DAC-functionalized) benzene derivatives as high-potential catholytes for non-aqueous redox flow batteries. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that the oxidation potentials (in CH3CN) of various DAC-benzene derivatives will range from +0.96 to +1.64 V vs Fc+/0, depending upon the substituents on the benzene ring. To test these predictions, a set of eight DAC-arene derivatives were synthesized and evaluated electrochemically. The molecule 1-DAC-4-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-5-pentafluoropropoxybenzene was found to offer the optimal balance of high redox potential (E1/2 = +1.19 V vs Fc+/0) and charge-discharge cycling stability (with 92% capacity retention over 116 h of cycling at 0.3 M concentration in a symmetrical flow cell). This optimal derivative was successfully deployed as a catholyte in a non-aqueous redox flow cell with butyl viologen as the anolyte to yield a 2.0 V battery.
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