Electrochemical properties of a new rechargeable battery using uranium as an active material

植野 雄大; 大内 和希  ; 渡邉 雅之   

Ueno, Katsuhiro; Ouchi, Kazuki; Watanabe, Masayuki

Depleted uranium (DU) is generated as a by-product of the enrichment process of uranium-235 (U-235) in nuclear fuel fabrication. For a new application of tons of DU, some attention has been paid to redox-flow batteries (RFB) which can contribute as output controls for renewable energy generations such as solar and wind power grids. Uranium (U) can be used as active materials in negative and/or positive electrode sides by using multiple oxidation states. Especially for the negative side, U(IV) and U(III) is a promising redox couple, while U(III) is chemically unstable in aqueous media. We are now developing a new system of a non-aqueous uranium battery. In the new battery, a redox couple of trivalent and divalent iron (Fe(III) / Fe(II)) is used for the positive side. The detailed battery performance characteristics and redox reactions at both electrodes will be discussed.