Overview
- PNNL researchers built a riboflavin-mediated glucose flow cell using carbon electrodes and either potassium ferricyanide or oxygen as the catholyte.
- In the ferricyanide configuration, the cell delivered room‑temperature power density comparable to vanadium flow batteries.
- The glucose–oxygen design achieved a peak power density of about 13 milliwatts per square centimeter, roughly 20 times higher than previous glucose flow reports under similar conditions.
- Oxygen in the presence of light degraded riboflavin, leading to self‑discharge and slower electrode reactions that the team aims to fix through engineering and light management.
- The peer‑reviewed work in ACS Energy Letters acknowledges DOE‑linked funding, with authors presenting it as a proof‑of‑concept toward safer, low‑cost storage using non‑toxic components.