Chinese Researchers Report Iron Flow Battery With 6,000-Cycle Stability
Edited by Steinar Vigdel Kolnes, Editor, Oslo
A redesigned electrolyte enabled an iron flow battery to complete more than 6,000 cycles without measurable capacity loss, according to a 2026 research paper.
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Metal Research have developed a new electrolyte formulation for an alkaline all-iron flow battery aimed at stationary energy storage.
The battery completed more than 6,000 charge and discharge cycles without a detectable decline in capacity. That cycle count corresponds to roughly 16 years of use at one cycle per day, rather than a demonstrated 16-year operating period.
Published in Advanced Energy Materials in 2026, the research points to potential applications in grid-scale storage. Bitcoin.com News highlighted iron’s lower cost compared with lithium, though the supplied report does not establish the cost of a complete battery system.
Source: Bitcoin.com News
