A research team at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has developed a key technology that can increase the efficiency of next-generation energy storage devices, attracting attention on the international academic stage.

JBNU researcher Amanpreet Kaur (Graduate School of Flexible Pinted Electronics, supervised by Professor Junwoo Lim) presented a study on the fabrication of a bipolar plate with an innovative structure to improve the efficiency of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), a next-generation energy storage device, at the 8th International Conference on Advanced Composite Materials (ICACM 2025) held in Tokyo, Japan, and received the Outstanding Presentation Award.

Through an innovative design that integrates the electrode and the bipolar plate into a single unit, the study simultaneously increased energy efficiency and long-term stability. The work is evaluated as having advanced the practical applicability of large-scale energy storage systems.

Although VRFBs are noted for high safety, near-infinite storage capacity, and excellent efficiency, performance degradation due to contact resistance among components inside the stack and cycling instability have been cited as major obstacles to commercialization.

In this study, the team developed a new structure that integrates the electrode and the bipolar plate using a single carbon felt (CF). By fundamentally eliminating interfacial contact resistance within the stack, this approach significantly reduces cell resistance and enhances overall stack performance. Notably, it achieved not only improved energy efficiency but also reduced part count and secured structural stability, greatly improving the long-term stability of VRFBs.

These results are significant in that they overcome technical limitations of VRFBs and substantially expand their commercial applicability. The research was published in the leading energy storage journal Journal of Power Sources under the title "Electrode-integrated bipolar plate structure for multi-cells in vanadium redox flow batteries."

Postdoctoral researcher Amanpreet Kaur said, "The primary goal was to realize long-term stable composite materials and structures to overcome the structural limitations of VRFBs," and added, "I am deeply grateful to Professor Junwoo Lim for his continuous guidance and support that made this meaningful achievement possible."

Meanwhile, this research was carried out with support from the institutional program of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and the Guwon Scholarship Foundation.