# Redox flow batteries: energy in the tanks, power in the stack

> A redox flow battery cut open inside a circulating loop of its two electrolytes, tagged with the idea that defines it: energy scales with the tanks and power with the stack. The all-vanadium chemistry and a metal-free quinone are compared on the right, with a carbon-felt electrode and the key performance numbers along the bottom.

- Page: https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/graphical-abstracts/redox-flow-batteries-energy-tanks-power-stack
- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=redox-flow-batteries-energy-in-tanks
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Materials graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: Two liquid electrolytes in external tanks
- Product: Grid-scale storage whose energy and power scale independently
- Key result: Quinone–bromide cell: peak power above 0.6 W cm⁻² at 1.3 A cm⁻², over 99% capacity retained per cycle (Huskinson et al. 2014); vanadium 1.5–1.8 M in about 3 M sulfuric acid; concept proposed in 1984 (Li et al. 2026)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 66 editable layers (2 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Tanks hold the energy**: The electroactive species stay in fluid form, so energy scales with the storage volume (Huskinson et al. 2014)
2. **The stack sets the power**: Power scales with the electrode area of the stack, independently of the tanks (Huskinson et al. 2014; Li et al. 2026)
3. **All-vanadium**: V²⁺/V³⁺ and VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ in sulfuric acid; one element on both sides avoids cross-contamination; Nafion membranes predominate (Li et al. 2026)
4. **Metal-free quinones**: AQDS takes two electrons and two protons rapidly and reversibly; alkaline quinone batteries use Earth-abundant, nontoxic, nonflammable molecules (Huskinson et al. 2014; Lin et al. 2015)
5. **Electrodes**: Graphite felt and other 3D electrodes host the reactions (Sharmoukh 2025)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on flow batteries and grid storage
- Talks comparing vanadium and organic flow chemistries
- Teaching how flow batteries decouple energy and power

## References

1. Huskinson et al., “A metal-free organic-inorganic aqueous flow battery”, Nature 2014. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12909 (primary)
2. Lin et al., “Alkaline quinone flow battery”, Science 2015. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab3033 (primary)
3. Li et al., “Research on the current development status of redox flow batteries”, Molecules 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31060943 (review)
4. Sharmoukh, “Redox flow batteries as energy storage systems: materials, viability, and industrial applications”, RSC Adv. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ra00296f (review)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Huskinson et al., Nature 2014 (doi:10.1038/nature12909); Lin et al., Science 2015 (doi:10.1126/science.aab3033); Li et al., Molecules 2026 (doi:10.3390/molecules31060943); Sharmoukh, RSC Adv. 2025 (doi:10.1039/d5ra00296f).

## Questions

**What does the “Redox flow batteries: energy in the tanks, power in the stack” template show?** A redox flow battery cut open inside a circulating loop of its two electrolytes, tagged with the idea that defines it: energy scales with the tanks and power with the stack. The all-vanadium chemistry and a metal-free quinone are compared on the right, with a carbon-felt electrode and the key performance numbers along the bottom.

**What are the steps shown in “Redox flow batteries: energy in the tanks, power in the stack”?** 1. Tanks hold the energy: The electroactive species stay in fluid form, so energy scales with the storage volume (Huskinson et al. 2014). 2. The stack sets the power: Power scales with the electrode area of the stack, independently of the tanks (Huskinson et al. 2014; Li et al. 2026). 3. All-vanadium: V²⁺/V³⁺ and VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ in sulfuric acid; one element on both sides avoids cross-contamination; Nafion membranes predominate (Li et al. 2026). 4. Metal-free quinones: AQDS takes two electrons and two protons rapidly and reversibly; alkaline quinone batteries use Earth-abundant, nontoxic, nonflammable molecules (Huskinson et al. 2014; Lin et al. 2015). 5. Electrodes: Graphite felt and other 3D electrodes host the reactions (Sharmoukh 2025).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Two liquid electrolytes in external tanks. Product: Grid-scale storage whose energy and power scale independently.

**Which papers is “Redox flow batteries: energy in the tanks, power in the stack” based on?** Huskinson et al., “A metal-free organic-inorganic aqueous flow battery”, Nature 2014 (doi:10.1038/nature12909); Lin et al., “Alkaline quinone flow battery”, Science 2015 (doi:10.1126/science.aab3033); Li et al., “Research on the current development status of redox flow batteries”, Molecules 2026 (doi:10.3390/molecules31060943); Sharmoukh, “Redox flow batteries as energy storage systems: materials, viability, and industrial applications”, RSC Adv. 2025 (doi:10.1039/d5ra00296f).

**Can I edit the “Redox flow batteries: energy in the tanks, power in the stack” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 66 layers are editable, including 2 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

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