<i>(Keynote)</i> Towards Deterministic Electrode Design for Redox Flow Batteries: Progress and Challenges

Porous electrodes are foundational components in electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems. In redox flow batteries (RFBs), electrode materials govern reaction kinetics and mass transport, ultimately defining system performance, durability, and cost. While conventional RFBs typically employ commercially available materials such as carbon felts and papers, emerging research has demonstrated that novel electrode architectures can outperform these fibrous structures. This progress underscores the importance of understanding how microstructure and surface composition influence electrochemical behavior. In this lecture, I will first review the fundamental roles of electrodes in RFBs and outline performance requirements across various flow battery chemistries, supported by illustrative examples from recent literature. I will then highlight three recent developments from our research group: (1) computational design of porous electrodes using high-performance topology optimization frameworks and genetic algorithms 1,2 , (2) scalable manufacturing of tailored electrode architectures 3–5 , and (3) surface and electrolyte engineering strategies to modulate reaction selectivity in hybrid flow battery systems 6,7 . Finally, I will present key electrode performance metrics, discuss characterization techniques to assess them, and conclude with practical guidelines for rational electrode design. References (1) Barzegari, M.; Forner-Cuenca, Chemical Engineering Journal 2025 , 512 , 161815. (2) Van Der Heijden, M.; Szendrei, G.; De Haas, V.; Forner-Cuenca, A., Digital Discovery 2024 , 3 (7), 1292–1307. (3) Integrating Flow Field Geometries within Porous Electrode Architectures for Enhanced Flow Battery, ChemRxiv . https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/67e7c119fa469535b9e81bbd. (4) Jacquemond, R. R.; Wan, C. T.-C.; Chiang, Y.-M.; Borneman, Z.; Brushett, F. R.; Nijmeijer, K.; Forner-Cuenca, A, Cell Reports Physical Science 2022 , 3 (7), 100943. (5) Wan, C. T.-C.; Jacquemond, R. R.; Chiang, Y.-M.; Nijmeijer, K.; Brushett, F. R.; Forner-Cuenca, Advanced Materials 2021 , 33 (16), 2006716 (6) Boz, E. B.; Bondre, A.; Bruijne, R. de; Forner-Cuenca, Advanced Materials 2025 , 2414596. (7) Gimenez-Garcia, I.; Forner-Cuenca, Electrochimica Acta 2024 , 498 , 144509.