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Halogen-powered static conversion chemistry

Nature Reviews Chemistry (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Halogen-powered static conversion batteries (HSCBs) thrive in energy storage applications. They fall into the category of secondary non-flow batteries and operate by reversibly changing the chemical valence of halogens in the electrodes or/and electrolytes to transfer electrons, distinguishing them from the classic rocking-chair batteries. The active halide chemicals developed for these purposes include organic halides, halide salts, halogenated inorganics, organic–inorganic halides and the most widely studied elemental halogens. Aside from this, various redox mechanisms have been discovered based on multi-electron transfer and effective reaction pathways, contributing to improved electrochemical performances and stabilities of HSCBs. In this Review, we discuss the status of HSCBs and their electrochemical mechanism–performance correlations. We first provide a detailed exposition of the fundamental redox mechanisms, thermodynamics, conversion and catalysis chemistry, and mass or electron transfer modes involved in HSCBs. We conclude with a perspective on the challenges faced by the community and opportunities towards practical applications of high-energy halogen cathodes in energy-storage devices.

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Fig. 1: Physicochemical and electrochemical properties of halogens.
Fig. 2: Electrochemically active halogen chemicals.
Fig. 3: Full halogen battery configuration with static conversion chemistry.
Fig. 4: Diversified static conversion chemistry.
Fig. 5: Challenges and enhancement approaches of halogen-powered static conversion chemistry.

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Acknowledgements

C.Z. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Key R&D Program of China [2019YFA0705104], City University of Hong Kong [9667165], and Research Grants Council [R5019-22]. X.L. discloses support for the research of this work from the State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing in Northwestern Polytechnical University [SKLSP202312].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Material Physics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Laboratory of Zhongyuan Light, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Xinliang Li & Wenyu Xu

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    Chunyi Zhi

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Glossary

Active halide chemicals

Chemical substances that contain halogens and in which the halogens perform conversion-type electrochemical reactions.

Electrochemical stability window

(ESW). A quantified potential range in which applicable electrolytes have the ability to resist decomposition.

Host

A conductive substance that carries active halide chemicals and transfers electrons.

Redox intermediates

A term denoting halogen-containing products that form during redox reactions but are not among the initial and final active chemicals.

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Li, X., Xu, W. & Zhi, C. Halogen-powered static conversion chemistry. Nat Rev Chem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-024-00597-z

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