Phys.org September 27, 2024 Microstrain and the associated surface-to-bulk propagation of structural defects are known to be major roadblocks for developing high-energy and long-life batteries. However, the origin and effects of microstrain during the synthesis of battery materials remain largely unknown. A team of researchers in the US (Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory) performed microstrain screening during real-time and realistic synthesis of sodium layered oxide cathodes and gathered evidence from multiscale in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and microscopy characterization. They found that the spatial distribution of transition metals within individual precursor particles strongly governed the nanoscale phase transformation, local […]
Tag Archives: Sodium ion battery
Researchers develop new method to enhance sodium ion storage
Phys.org March 9, 2023 The larger diameter of Na ions compared to Li ions makes the sodiation/desodiation process more difficult with a larger volumetric variation of the electrode material, leading to poor capacity and cycling stability. Researchers in China developed an atomic-interface of well-constructed 2H-MoS2/Fe(SA)-N-C anode assembled with 2H-MoS2 layer and N-doped carbon-confined Fe atom, which boosted the reversible sodium storage capacity. They found that driven by the work function difference at the heterointerface, the electron could transfer from Fe(SA)-N-C to 2H-MoS2 easily, enhancing the adsorption Na+ ion at the S sites of electron-rich MoS2. They indicated that the change […]
Longer lasting sodium-ion batteries on the horizon
Science Daily July 13, 2022 The severe instability of the solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed during repeated cycling in sodium ion batteries (NIBs) hinders their development. In particular, the SEI dissolution in NIBs with a high-voltage cathode is more severe than in the case of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and leads to continuous side reactions, electrolyte depletion and irreversible capacity loss, making NIBs less stable than LIBs. A team of researchers in the US (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Washington) developed a rational electrolyte design to suppress the SEI dissolution and enhance NIB performance. Their electrolyte lowered the solvation ability for […]
Molecular paddlewheels propel sodium ions through next-generation batteries
Science Daily January 11, 2022 Identifying and controlling the pertinent phonon modes coupled most strongly with ionic conductivity, and assessing the role of anharmonicity, could pave the way for discovering and designing new solid electrolyted (SEs) via phonon engineering. A team of researchers in the US (Duke University, University of Louisville, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory) investigated phonons in sodium thiophosphate (Na3PS4) and their coupling to fast Na diffusion and identified that anharmonic soft modes at the Brillouin zone boundary of the anharmonically stabilized cubic phase constitute key phonon modes that control the Na diffusion process in Na3PS4. […]