The general aim of my PhD is to work towards improving performance in a number of Redox flow Battery (RFB) systems and Fuel cells. The first months of my PhD will focus mainly on vanadium based RFBs as these are the most mature systems and are the closest to reaching commercial viability. Working on the all-vanadium RFB allow me to gain familiarity with electrochemical characterisation techniques where there is lots of literature available to assist.
Later in my first year and onwards I will focus on some of the less mature Redox flow systems and Fuel cells on which there is a lower degree of understanding and research done on materials. This research can focus on the electrolyte, electrocatalysts and the membrane. Due to the heavy membrane synthesis focus of the group there is an opportunity to test appropriate membrane materials developed by the group for other applications in these RFB systems.