Used primarily as a key component in redox flow batteries, particularly in viologen-based systems, where it serves as an electroactive species for energy storage. Its reversible electron transfer properties make it suitable for use in electrochromic devices, such as smart windows that change opacity in response to an electric current, and in dye-sensitized solar cells. Also employed in supramolecular chemistry as a building block for constructing host-guest complexes due to its ability to form charge-transfer interactions. Additionally, it finds use in agricultural formulations as a herbicide precursor, leveraging its ability to generate reactive oxygen species upon reduction. It is also utilized as a redox mediator in solution studies and in high-sensitivity chemical sensors for specific analyte detection.