Flow battery systems and methods of using the same

A method of operating a flow battery system, the method comprising:

• (a) flowing a liquid electrolyte from a storage tank of a flow battery system to an electrode chamber of the flow battery system, the liquid electrolyte comprising a solvent and a first active ion dissolved in the solvent, wherein the storage tank comprises the liquid electrolyte and a first solid composed of the first active ion and an ion of the solvent, wherein the storage tank further comprises a material comprising nucleation sites on which the first solid and a second solid composed of a second active ion and the ion of the solvent form;
• (b) inducing an electrochemical reaction in the electrode chamber to convert the first active ion dissolved in the solvent to a second active ion dissolved in the solvent, wherein the first solid dissolves to provide more of the first active ion dissolved in the solvent;
• (c) flowing the liquid electrolyte comprising the solvent and the second active ion dissolved in the solvent from the electrode chamber back to the storage tank;
• and
• (d) precipitating the second solid composed of the second active ion and the ion of the solvent in the storage tank,
• wherein the liquid electrolyte is passed to the electrode chamber without passing the first solid and the second solid to the electrode chamber, the storage tank further comprising a porous separating layer configured to divide the storage tank into compartments such that the liquid electrolyte is passed to the electrode chamber without passing the first solid and the second solid to the electrode chamber.