Synergistic Catalysis of SnO2-CNTs Composite for VO2+/VO2+ and V2+/V3+ Redox Reactions

In this study, a SnO2-carbon nanotube (SnO2-CNT) composite as a catalyst for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) was prepared using a sol-gel method. The effects of this composite on the electrochemical performance of VO2+/VO2+, and on the V2+/V3+ redox reactions and VRFB performance were investigated. The SnO2-CNT composite has better catalytic activity than pure SnO2 and CNT due to the synergistic catalysis of SnO2 and the CNT. SnO2 mainly provides the catalytic active sites and the CNTs mainly provide the three-dimensional structure and high electrical conductivity. Therefore, the SnO2-CNT composite has a larger specific surface area and an excellent synergistic catalytic performance. For cell performance, it was found that the SnO2-CNT cell shows a greater discharge capacity and energy efficiency. In particular, at 150 mA cm(-2), the discharge capacity of the SnO2-CNT cell is 28.6 mAh higher than that of the pristine cell. The energy efficiency of the modified cell (7%) is 7.2% higher than that of the pristine cell (62.8%). This study shows that the SnO2-CNT is an efficient and promising catalyst for VRFB.

Automated summary

In this study, a SnO2-carbon nanotube (SnO2-CNT) composite was prepared as a catalyst for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) using a sol-gel method. The composite showed better catalytic activity than pure SnO2 and CNT, improving the performance of VRFB by enhancing discharge capacity and energy efficiency.