Can carbon felt be used in a redox flow battery?

The application of felt electrodes is outlined on the example of the vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Then, the interrelation of carbon felt and carbon fiber is explained regarding the manufacturing process of carbon felts and a selection of suitable starting materials.

What kind of electrodes are used for redox flow batteries?

Permeable electrodes made of SIGRACELL carbon and graphite felts are the first choice for high-temperature batteries like redox flow batteries. Our felts are used for anodes as well as cathodes.

What size battery felt do you supply?

We supply battery felts in standard sizes up to 1350 mm (53") in width in 25 m (82 ft) rolls. Beyond that, we produce carbon and graphite felts in customer- specific dimensions. The entire in-house value chain ensures the quality of SIGRACELL ® battery felts from SGL Carbon and thus contributes to optimizing battery performance.

Are carbon felt electrodes suitable for electrochemical applications?

Only very few manufacturers of carbon felts, such as SGL Carbon SE, a world market leader in carbon materials, offer specialized carbon felt electrodes for electrochemical applications. The requirements for felt electrodes are different from those for insulation or mechanical applications.

What is the cost assessment of carbon felt electrodes?

The cost assessment of carbon felt electrodes is carried out in accordance with the system modules described in Fig. 2. Thus, total costs are defined as the sum of costs of the white fiber, the textile processing and the carbonization process.

Are carbon felt electrodes better than PAN-based electrodes for VRFB application?

This also applies to the electrochemical performance of the considered final product, the carbon felt electrode for VRFB application. Experimental investigations reveal a higher through plane resistivity of rayon-based electrodes compared to PAN-based electrodes.