一项基于核磁共振成像（MRI）和核磁共振（NMR）原理的技术使研究人员不仅能够观察到下一代用于大规模能源储存的电池如何工作，还能发现其失效的过程，这将有助于寻找延长电池寿命的手段，以此实现向零碳未来的过渡。

A technique based on the principles of MRI and NMR has allowed researchers to observe not only how next-generation batteries for large-scale energy storage work, but also how they fail, which will assist in the development of strategies to extend battery lifetimes in support of the transition to a zero-carbon future.

这些新工具由剑桥大学的研究人员开发，将会帮助科学家们设计效率更高且更加安全的用于电网级能源储存的电池系统。此外，该技术还可应用于其他类型的电池和电化电池，以此解开这些系统中发生的复杂反应机制，并检测和诊断故障。

The new tools, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, will help scientists design more efficient and safer battery systems for grid-scale energy storage. In addition, the technique may be applied to other types of batteries and electrochemical cells to untangle the complex reaction mechanisms that occur in these systems, and to detect and diagnose faults.

研究人员在有机氧化还原液流电池上测试了该项技术，该电池有望存储足够的可再生能源来为城镇供电，但对于商业应用而言，其降解速度太快。研究人员发现，如果以较低的电压对电池充电，则可以显着降低降解速度，从而延长电池的使用寿命。该发现在《自然》杂志上发表。

The researchers tested their techniques on organic redox flow batteries, promising candidates to store enough renewable energy to power towns and cities, but which degrade too quickly for commercial applications. The researchers found that by charging the batteries at a lower voltage, they were able to significantly slow the rate of degradation, extending the batteries’ lifespan. The results are reported in the journal Nature.

电池是从以化石燃料为基础的能源过渡过程中至关重要的部分。如果没有能够实现电网规模储存的电池，那么仅通过可再生能源来支撑经济的想法将化为泡影。锂离子电池虽然适用于消费类电子产品，但是却无法轻易扩展到足够大的尺寸来存储大量能量为整个城市供电。锂离子电池中的易燃材料也构成潜在的安全隐患。电池越大，着火可能造成的潜在损害就越大。

Batteries are a vital piece of the transition away from fossil fuel-based sources of energy. Without batteries capable of grid-scale storage, it will be impossible to power the economy using solely renewable energy. And lithium-ion batteries, while suitable for consumer electronics, don’t easily scale up to a sufficient size to store enough energy to power an entire city, for instance. Flammable materials in lithium-ion batteries also pose potential safety hazards. The bigger the battery, the more potential damage it could cause if it catches fire.

氧化还原液流电池是解决这一技术难题的潜在解决方案。其由两个电解液罐组成，一个为正极，另一个为负极，只需增加罐的大小即可增加容量，因此非常适合可再生能源的存储。 这些房间大小甚至楼宇大小的不易燃电池可能在未来的绿色能源网中发挥关键作用。

Redox flow batteries are one possible solution to this technological puzzle. They consist of two tanks of electrolyte liquid, one positive and one negative, and can be scaled up just by increasing the size of the tanks, making them highly suitable for renewable energy storage. These room-sized, or even building-sized, non-flammable batteries may play a key role in future green energy grids.

几家公司目前正在开发用于商业用途的氧化还原液流电池，其中大多数使用钒作为电解质。然而钒价格昂贵且有毒，因此电池研究人员正在努力开发一种基于有机材料的氧化还原液流电池，这种材料更便宜且更具可持续性。但是，这些分子倾向于快速降解。

Several companies are currently developing redox flow batteries for commercial applications, most of which use vanadium as the electrolyte. However, vanadium is expensive and toxic, so battery researchers are working to develop a redox flow battery based on organic materials which are cheaper and more sustainable. However, these molecules tend to degrade quickly.

论文的第一作者、剑桥化学系的赵文博（音，Evan Wenbo Zhao）博士说：“由于有机分子易于迅速分解，这意味着大多数将它们用作电解质的电池寿命不长，因此不适合商业应用。”“虽然我们早已经了解到这种现象，但却并不总是理解为什么会这样。”

“Since the organic molecules tend to break down quickly, it means that most batteries using them as electrolytes won’t last very long, making them unsuitable for commercial applications,” said Dr Evan Wenbo Zhao from Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry, and the paper’s first author. “While we’ve known this for a while, what we haven’t always understood is why this is happening.”

现在，赵博士和他所在剑桥克莱尔·格雷教授研究组的同事们，以及来自英国，瑞典和西班牙的合作者，已经开发出两种新技术来观察有机氧化还原液流电池，以了解电解质的分解原因并改善其性能。

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Now, Zhao and his colleagues in Professor Clare Grey’s research group in Cambridge, along with collaborators from the UK, Sweden and Spain, have developed two new techniques to peer inside organic redox flow batteries in order to understand why the electrolyte breaks down and improve their performance.

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