LAUSR

Abstract A new electroactive species benzophenone (BP) is identified for the anolyte of an all-organic redox flow battery (AORFB) due to its low redox potential, high electrochemical reversibility and stability, and high solubility in non-aqueous electrolyte. BP also shows high stability in a wide temperature range, and the elevated temperature enhances the redox reactions and the mass transfer rates, leading to an exponential increase of the diffusion coefficient. An AORFB based on BP anolyte is achieved with a cell voltage of 2.41 V and a theoretical energy density of 139 Wh L−1. The cycling performance shows a stable coulombic efficiency of 81%. The results presented indicate that organic molecule BP is a promising anolyte active species for high-energy density AORFBs.