Room-temperature and subzero battery design shows stable performance using sodium-based chemistry
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Y. Shirley Meng's lab have made significant strides in the field of all-solid-state batteries. Their research, published in the journal Joule, aims to rectify the performance issues of sodium-based all-solid-state batteries.
Pairing the metastable phase with an O-type cathode coated with a chloride-based solid electrolyte allows for the creation of thick, high-areal-loading cathodes. This innovation is crucial as it helps improve the theoretical energy density of the battery.
The research demonstrates thick cathodes that retain performance at room temperature down to subzero conditions. This is a significant achievement as all-solid-state batteries are safe, powerful ways to power electric vehicles (EVs) and electronics, and store electricity from the energy grid.
One of the key aspects of this research is the breakthrough in stabilizing a metastable structure of sodium hydridoborate. This metastable structure has a very high ionic conductivity, at least one order of magnitude higher than the one reported in the literature.
The technique used to stabilize the crystal structure of sodium hydridoborate has not been previously applied to solid electrolytes. Researchers used thin-film synthesis techniques to achieve this.
Lithium, used to build all-solid-state batteries, is rare, expensive, and can be environmentally devastating to extract. Sodium, on the other hand, is an inexpensive, plentiful, and less-destructive alternative. This research advances sodium as a viable alternative for batteries, a crucial step towards combating the rarity and environmental damage of lithium.
The thick cathode design, coupled with the high ionic conductivity of the metastable structure, helps put sodium on a more equal playing field with lithium for electrochemical performance.
The journey towards implementing this research is still long, but it will help open up the opportunity for sodium-based batteries plus. The established technique used for stabilizing the crystal structure could help scale up the innovation for a real-world product in the future.
This research is one of many steps ahead in the development of sodium-based batteries, paving the way for a more sustainable and accessible future of energy storage and transportation.
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