Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp
UH part of international team working to make sodium batteries better
University of Houston
image:
Pieremanuele Canepa, Robert Welch assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston and lead researcher of the Canepa Lab.
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HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2024 –While lithium-ion batteries have been the go-to technology for everything from smartphones and laptops to electric cars, there are growing concerns about the future because lithium is relatively scarce, expensive and difficult to source, and may soon be at risk due to geopolitical considerations. Scientists around the world are working to create viable alternatives.
An international team of interdisciplinary researchers, including the Canepa Research Laboratory at the University of Houston, has developed a new type of material for sodium-ion batteries that could make them more efficient and boost their energy performance – paving the way for a more sustainable and affordable energy future.
The new material, sodium vanadium phosphate with the chemical formula NaxV2(PO4)3, improves sodium-ion battery performance by increasing the energy density—the amount of energy stored per kilogram—by more than 15%. With a higher energy density of 458 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) compared to the 396 Wh/kg in older sodium-ion batteries, this material brings sodium technology closer to competing with lithium-ion batteries.
“Sodium is nearly 50 times cheaper than lithium and can even be harvested from seawater, making it a much more sustainable option for large-scale energy storage,” said Pieremanuele Canepa, Robert Welch assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH and lead researcher of the Canepa Lab. “Sodium-ion batteries could be cheaper and easier to produce, helping reduce reliance on lithium and making battery technology more accessible worldwide.”
From Theory to Reality
The Canepa Lab, which uses theoretical expertise and computational methods to discover new materials and molecules to help advance clean energy technologies, collaborated with the research groups headed by French researchers Christian Masquelier and Laurence Croguennec from the Laboratoire de Reáctivité et de Chimie des Solides, which is a CNRS laboratory part of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne, in Amiens France, and the Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France for the experimental work on the project. This allowed theoretical modelling to go through experimental validation.
The researchers created a battery prototype using the new material, NaxV2(PO4)3, demonstrating significant energy storage improvements. NaxV2(PO4)3, part of a group called “Na superionic conductors” or NaSICONs, is designed to let sodium ions move smoothly in and out of the battery during charging and discharging.
Unlike existing materials, it has a unique way of handling sodium, allowing it to work as a single-phase system. This means it remains stable as it releases or takes in sodium ions. This allows the NaSICON to remain stable during charging and discharging while delivering a continuous voltage of 3.7 volts versus sodium metal, higher than the 3.37 volts in existing materials.
While this difference may seem small, it significantly increases the battery’s energy density or how much energy it can store for its weight. The key to its efficiency is vanadium, which can exist in multiple stable states, allowing it to hold and release more energy.
“The continuous voltage change is a key feature,” said Canepa. “It means the battery can perform more efficiently without compromising the electrode stability. That’s a game-changer for sodium-ion technology.”
Possibilities for a Sustainable Future
The implications of this work extend beyond sodium-ion batteries. The synthesis method used to create NaxV2(PO4)3 could be applied to other materials with similar chemistries, opening new possibilities for advanced energy storage technologies. That could in turn, impact everything from more affordable, sustainable batteries to power our devices to help us transition to a cleaner energy economy.
"Our goal is to find clean, sustainable solutions for energy storage," Canepa said. "This material shows that sodium-ion batteries can meet the high-energy demands of modern technology while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly."
A paper based on this work was published in the journal Nature Materials. Ziliang Wang, Canepa’s former student and now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, and Sunkyu Park, a former student of the French researchers and now a staff engineer at Samsung SDI in South Korea, performed much of the work on this project.
Caption for attached photo:
Pieremanuele Canepa, Robert Welch assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston and lead researcher of the Canepa Lab.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students.
Journal
Nature Materials
Article Title
Obtaining V2(PO4)3 by sodium extraction from single-phase NaxV2(PO4)3 (1 < x < 3) positive electrode materials
Paving the way for the future of energy storage with solid-state batteries
Rapid advancements in solid-state battery technology are ushering in a new era of energy storage solutions, with the potential to revolutionize everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy systems. Evolutions in electrolyte engineering have played a key role in this progress, enhancing the development and performance of high-performance all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs).
A recent review paper dived into these developments and summarized the cutting-edge research on inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) used in ASSBs. Researchers explored how oxides, sulfides, hydroborates, antiperovskites and halides play a pivotal role in powering next-generation -batteries. These materials are not only used as electrolytes but also as catholytes and interface layers, which enhance battery performance and safety.
"We highlighted the recent breakthroughs in synthesizing these materials, honing our attention on the innovative techniques that enable the precise tuning of their properties to meet the demanding requirements of ASSBs," says Eric Jianfeng Cheng, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR). "Precise tuning is crucial for developing batteries with higher energy densities, longer life cycles, and better safety profiles than conventional liquid-based batteries."
Cheng and his colleagues also touched on the key electrochemical characteristics of ISEs, such as ionic conductivity, stability, and compatibility with electrodes Additionally, they explored current ASSB models, proposing emerging approaches that could pave the way for the future of energy storage.
Yet, the review cautioned that several challenges remain in the development of ASSBs. One significant hurdle is the limited compatibility between ISEs and electrodes, which can lead to harmful interfacial reactions. Overcoming these issues is critical for enhancing the efficiency and longevity of ASSBs. The review outlined these challenges in detail while also sharing insights into ongoing efforts to tackle them.
"Our comprehensive review underscores the importance of continued research and development in the field of solid-state batteries. By developing new materials, improving synthesis methods, and overcoming compatibility issues, current efforts are driving innovation toward practical ASSBs that could transform how we store and use energy," adds Cheng.
The review was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI
Main WPI program site: www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel
Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Tohoku University
Establishing a World-Leading Research Center for Materials Science
AIMR aims to contribute to society through its actions as a world-leading research center for materials science and push the boundaries of research frontiers. To this end, the institute gathers excellent researchers in the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and mathematics and provides a world-class research environment.
Journal
Journal of Materials Chemistry A
Article Title
Inorganic solid electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium/sodium-ion batteries: recent developments and applications
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