Thermally regenerative battery based on copper complexation with low-grade heat source temperature

초록

The demand for utilizing low-grade thermal energy (<130 degrees C) in various industrial sites is becoming increasingly imperative amidst the backdrop of global climate change. This study delves into the investigation on optimal materials and their performance within a copper complexation-based thermal regenerative battery operating at 90 degrees C. Our findings reveal that a blended complexing agent composed of ammonia and acetonitrile exhibits superior durability compared to a singularly ammonia-based complexing agent, while also requiring lower charging temperatures than an acetonitrile-based counterpart. Notably, this thermal regenerative battery achieved a remarkable heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 1.04 % when utilizing a ratio of acetonitrile to ammonia at 0.7:0.3 at 90 degrees C. The selected ratio of 0.7:0.3 not only yielded improved results with a voltage output of 294.8 mV and a power density of 60.6 W/m(2) but also demonstrated a notable doubling of the anodic coulombic efficiency to 75.2 %, when it compared with utilizing solely ammonia. The proposed battery system heralds a promising new approach for efficiently converting low-grade heat into electrical power, employing cost-effective metal electrodes. Importantly, this system outperforms both solely ammonia-based systems and those relying solely on acetonitrile, suggesting its potential application in low-grade heat source application such as building systems. This research underscores the viability of the thermally regenerative battery as a transformative solution for addressing the challenges of energy conversion from low-grade heat sources.

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