Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a method to convert industrial waste into a material essential for battery production. The waste molecule, triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), is a byproduct of industrial processes such as vitamin production. By transforming TPPO into a valuable material, the team has successfully developed a redox flow battery that can store energy. This breakthrough could provide a sustainable solution for energy storage, reducing the need for metal-based batteries that rely on mining. The team used a “one-pot” reaction to convert TPPO into a valuable material with high energy storage potential. The resulting material, cyclic triphenylphosphine oxide (CPO), exhibited high stability and energy density, outperforming other redox materials. The study has shown that CPO can be reused over 350 cycles with minimal capacity loss. The discovery has significant implications for the development of sustainable energy storage solutions, and the team is encouraging further research to optimize and enhance the use of TPPO in redox flow batteries. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Researchers transform industrial pollutants into a sustainable power source for energy grids.
