Systematic refinement of experimental practices to improve repeatability in flow battery cycling

Systematic refinement of experimental practices to improve repeatability in flow battery cycling | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Systematic refinement of experimental practices to improve repeatability in flow battery cycling Hugh O’Connor, Alexander H. Quinn, Fikile R. Brushett, Oana Istrate, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6001502/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Flow batteries represent one of the leading options for large-scale, long-duration energy storage. In recent years, research into this technology has accelerated, with numerous innovative studies focusing on electrolytes, membranes, and electrode materials. Despite this, there is presently no clear set of testing protocols followed during full-cell testing of flow batteries and the experimental techniques detailed in published literature are often insufficient to reproduce results. Furthermore, testing to quantify the repeatability of experiments is not often reported. In this work, various aspects of an experimental procedure developed from the peer-reviewed literature are refined, with voltage efficiency, coulombic efficiency, energy efficiency, and electrolyte utilization used as indicators of repeatability. A set of improved testing protocols are presented for researchers to consider when conducting charge-discharge testing, and additional factors to be reported and studied in the context of repeatability are suggested. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SISystematicrefinementofexperimentalpracticesClean.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 27 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6001502","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":444590598,"identity":"fcb733a9-b615-4166-9215-4e595d329d87","order_by":0,"name":"Hugh O’Connor","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hugh","middleName":"","lastName":"O’Connor","suffix":""},{"id":444590600,"identity":"63d3b845-4e7d-4abe-9480-1add8fa174e7","order_by":1,"name":"Alexander H. 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