The team made up of (from top clockwise) Cronin, Symes and Jia.
A University of Glasgow research points to such a promising outcome. Chemists at the university have developed a flow battery system using a nano-molecule that can store electric power or hydrogen gas giving a new type of hybrid energy storage system that can be used as a flow battery or for hydrogen storage.
The team's research findings was published in the Nature Chemistry journal. The research was funded by the University of Glasgow complex chemistry initiative as well as the European Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
READ MORE:
The big picture on EV battery tech
The flow battery, based upon the design of a nanoscale battery molecule can store energy, releasing the power on demand as electric power or hydrogen gas that can be used a fuel. When a concentrated liquid containing the nano-molecules is made, the amount of energy it can store increases by almost 10 times. The energy can be released as either electricity or hydrogen gas. IN other words, the system could be used flexibly in situations that might need either a fuel or electric power.
If the flow battery is proven to work reliably and can scale up, it would mean a fuelling revolution for electrified cars.
With the material as a pumpable liquid like petrol or diesel, such electric cars could be charged in seconds, the same amount of time it takes to fill up conventional cars with fossil fuels. The advantage is that the old battery liquid would be extracted at the same time and "recharged" for use again.
The team comprises Professor Leroy (Lee) Cronin, the University of Glasgow’s Regius Chair of Chemistry, Dr Mark Symes, Senior Lecturer in Electrochemistry, also at the University of Glasgow with Dr Jia Jia Chen, who is a researcher in the team.
