It is expected to replace lithium-ion batteries! US scientists develop new "dream battery"
American scientists published a paper in the latest issue of the "Journal of the American Chemical Society" saying that they have developed a new type of sodium-sulfur battery that solves the problems of dendrites commonly faced by similar batteries and makes the battery life longer - after 300 cycles Charge and discharge are still stable performance. The latest research is an important milestone on the road to commercialization of sodium-sulfur batteries, which are expected to replace the widely used lithium-ion batteries in the future.
: Physicists Organization Network
Lithium-ion batteries are currently widely used in smartphones and electric vehicles. However, lithium and cobalt, the raw materials for the production of lithium-ion batteries, are not only limited in reserves, but also have a certain negative impact on the environment, including the use of large amounts of groundwater, pollution of soil and water sources, carbon Emissions are high. Materials such as sodium and sulfur are cheaper, more readily available (sodium can be obtained from the ocean) and more environmentally friendly. With this in mind, researchers have been working on sodium-based batteries that can operate at room temperature for the past 20 years.
The latest research leader, Professor Arumgan Mantiram, Director of the Materials Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, said: "The sodium and sulfur are abundant, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective, making sodium-sulfur batteries a promising alternative. kind of 'dream battery'."
In two recent studies of sodium batteries by Mantiram's team, the scientists adjusted the composition of the electrolyte to help ions move back and forth between the cathode and anode, stimulating the charging and discharging of the battery. In addition, they have overcome a common problem in sodium batteries -- needle-like dendrites that grow on the battery's anode, causing the battery to rapidly age, short-circuit, and even catch fire and explode.
The researchers explain that in previous sodium-sulfur battery electrolytes, intermediate compounds formed from sulfur would dissolve in the electrolyte and shuttle between the two electrodes within the battery, leading to material loss, component degradation and dendrite formation. The new electrolyte they formulated uses an inert (not involved in chemical reaction) solvent to dilute the concentrated salt solution, thereby keeping the electrolyte in a "semi-dissolved" state. The results show that the new electrolyte can prevent the dissolution of sulfur, thus solving the shuttle and dendrite problems. This allows the battery to last longer, showing stable performance after 300 charge-discharge cycles.
Lithium prices have skyrocketed over the past year, and calls for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries have grown louder. The researchers plan to build on this breakthrough by testing larger batteries to see if they can be applied to electric vehicles and the storage of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
