Science Daily April 5, 2022
Grid-level storage of seasonal excess can be an important asset to renewable electricity.
As a proof-of-concept researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory applied the freeze-thaw thermal cycling strategy to Al-Ni molten salt batteries and demonstrated effective capacity recovery over 90% after a period of 1–8 weeks. They explored three activation methods of the nickel cathode in a molten-salt battery: (1) heat treating the cathode granules under H2/N2, (2) incorporating a partially charged NiCl2/Ni cathode, and (3) doping the molten salt electrolyte with sulfur. Sulfur doping, a cost-efficient method suitable for large-scale applications, was not only effective in activating the Ni cathode initially but also invaluable for energy retention during thermal cycling. According to the researchers the Al-Ni molten salt batteries under thermal cycling show high retention in cell capacity over weeks, setting a direction for scalable seasonal storage… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports Physical Science, 23 March 2022, 100821