Disclosed is an electrolyte for a redox flow battery including at least one additive selected from the group consisting of a taurine compound and an amino acid compound. Thus, it is possible to provide an electrolyte for a redox flow battery which may have high solubility of active materials, be stable at high temperature or high pH, and show excellent electrochemical properties. In addition, when the electrolyte for a redox flow battery includes a nitrogen (N)-containing organic molecule having high redox activity as an active material, it is possible to realize a high-efficiency demetallized redox flow battery capable of solving the problems of dendrite formation or irreversible precipitation fundamentally.

A redox flow battery and battery system are provided. In one example, the redox flow battery includes a cell stack assembly interposed by two endplates and comprising a plurality of mated membrane frame plates and bipolar frame plates forming, at a mated interface, a plurality of negative and positive flow channels configured to distribute negative and positive electrolyte into a plurality of bipolar plates. In the battery a membrane is coupled to each of the plurality of membrane frame plates and positioned sequentially between two of the bipolar plates included in the plurality of bipolar plates.

Methods, systems, and computer program products for mitigating the effects of shading in photovoltaic cells using flow batteries are provided herein. A computer-implemented method includes connecting at least one fuel stack to one or more photovoltaic cells, wherein each fuel stack comprises (i) one or more ports and (ii) one or more electrochemical cells; determining that one or more portions of the one or more photovoltaic cells are impacted by a shading effect; converting chemical energy stored in an electrolytic solution to electrical energy, by interacting the electrolytic solution with the electrochemical cells of each fuel stack connected to the portions of the impacted photovoltaic cells; automatically opening the ports of each fuel stack connected to the one or more portions of the impacted photovoltaic cells; and supplying the electrical energy to the portions of the impacted photovoltaic cells.

A data communication device includes a battery having a first flowable electrolyte. In some embodiments, the battery is a redox flow battery (RFB) or a hybrid RFB. A first channel contains the first flowable electrolyte of the battery (i.e., contains at least a portion of the first flowable electrolyte). The first channel may include a tube and/or a reservoir. At least a portion of the first channel may be flexible and/or stretchable. The first channel has a first electrode configured to impart and/or receive a first electrical signal in the first flowable electrolyte. The first electrical signal may be a digital signal. The first electrical signal may be an encoded signal. The device may include a transceiver in electronic communication with the first electrode.

Disclosed are a polymer electrolyte membrane having high flexibility, high ionic conductivity, and excellent mechanical durability, a method for manufacturing same, and an electrochemical device comprising same. The polymer electrolyte membrane of the present invention comprises a polymer electrolyte material, wherein the polymer electrolyte material comprises: an ion conductor having an ion-exchange group; and an organic compound which binds to the ion-exchange group via an ionic bond or a hydrogen bond, thereby allowing the polymer electrolyte material to have an ionic crosslink structure or a hydrogen bond crosslink structure.

Provided are assemblies, comprising: a first leaf spring; a second leaf spring; and at least one component; the first leaf spring and the second leaf spring being superposed over a first end of the at least one component so as to exert first and second forces, respectively, through first and second regions of the component. These assemblies are useful to apply different forces to a stacked assembly where a cross section of a component of the assembly comprises materials of different Young's moduli within that cross section, thereby compressing different regions of the component with different forces.

In one example, a system for a flow cell for a flow battery, comprising: a first flow field; and a polymeric frame, comprising: a top face; a bottom face, opposite the top face; a first side; a second side, opposite the first side; a first electrolyte inlet located on the top face and the first side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte outlet located on the top face and the second side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte inlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte inlet; and a first electrolyte outlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte outlet. In this way, shunt currents may be minimized by increasing the length and/or reducing the cross-sectional area of the electrolyte inlet and electrolyte outlet flow paths.

A nonaqueous electrolyte composition for use in a redox flow battery system, comprising: a nonaqueous supporting electrolyte; and a metal ligand complex of formula II: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.6 are each independently H, halogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, or a polyether, ##STR00002##
wherein R.sub.5 is H, alkyl, or substituted alkyl; and M is a transition metal or zinc.

Methods and systems are provided for transporting and hydrating a redox flow battery system with a portable field hydration system. In one example, the redox flow battery system may be hydrated with the portable field hydration system in a dry state, in the absence of liquids. In this way, a redox flow battery system may be assembled and transported from a battery manufacturing facility to an end-use location off-site while the redox flow battery system is in the dry state, thereby reducing shipping costs, design complexities, as well as logistical and environmental concerns.

Self-charging electrochemical cells, including self-charging batteries that incorporate such self-charging electrochemical cells, the electrochemical cells including a cathode including a cathode active material, an electrolyte including a solvent and a salt dissolved in the solvent, the electrolyte being in contact with the cathode, where the cathode active material is transformed into a discharge product during or after a discharge of the self-charging electrochemical cell and a solubility of the cathode active material in the electrolyte is less than a solubility of the discharge product in the electrolyte.