Enhanced Catalysis of P-doped SnO(2) for the V(2+)/V(3+) Redox Reaction in Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

In this work, nanosized P-doped SnO(2) (SnO(2)-P) was prepared by a sol–gel method as a catalyst for the V(3+)/V(2+) redox reaction in vanadium redox flow battery. Compared with SnO(2), the electrochemical performance of SnO(2)-P is significantly improved. This is because P doping provides more active sites and shows greatly improved electrical conductivity, thereby increasing the electron transfer rate. As a result, SnO(2)-P shows better catalytic performance than SnO(2). The SnO(2)-P modified cell is designed, and it exhibits an increase of 47.2 mA h in discharge capacity and 8.7% in energy efficiency compared with the pristine cell at 150 mA cm(−2). These increases indicate that the modified cell has a higher electrolyte utilization rate. This study shows that SnO(2)-P is a new and efficient catalyst for vanadium redox flow battery.