Readily Accessible M-Ferrocenyl-Phenyl Sulfonate as Novel Cathodic Electrolyte for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Ferrocene derivatives are amongst the most promising electroactive organic electrolytes. The bottleneck problems of their application in aqueous redox flow batteries poor solubility and lower potential as well complexity modification methods to solve these problems. In this study, a benzenesulfonic acid group is easily introduced into ferrocene structure by mature diazotization reaction, synthesized sodium m-phenylferrocene sulfonate BASFc used novel cathodic electrolyte for AORFB. hydrophilicity electron-absorbing effect can effectively improve water ferrocene. Moreover, introduction phenyl extends conjugated increases its structural dimension, which may be conducive reducing membrane permeability improving stability some extent. physical electrochemical properties studied systematically; feasibility AORFBs verified assembling half-cell full-cell. results verify good reaction kinetics corresponding AORFB shows satisfactory efficiency stability.