Summary:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering have developed a novel anode material that has improved capacity and stability of sodium-ion batteries.
Background: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have revolutionized technology in multiple fields and can be found in a wide array of technologies, ranging from electric cars to smartphones. While LIBs have high energy density and can withstand thousands of recharging cycles, they are often too expensive due to the lithium’s scarcity. Since the global market for LIBs is poised to grow from $41.1B in 2021 to $116.6B by 2030, there is a high demand for a cost-effective alternative that uses widely available materials. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a promising option due to the relative abundance of sodium, but SIBs have not yet been widely adopted. Anode materials commonly used in SIBs often limit the cycling stability, capacity, and efficiency of the resulting SIB. To ensure they are a viable alternative to LIBs, advanced anode materials must be developed to improve the performance of SIBs.
Innovation: UCLA researchers led by Professor Yunfeng Lu have developed a new anode material for SIBs that has excellent cycling stability and energy capacity. The anodes not only lead to 14% greater capacity than competing materials, but they also retained greater than 90% of their reversible capacity after 500 cycles. The material is also mechanically robust due to its composite nature. Furthermore, the architecture and design process they employed can also be applied to other components used in electrochemical devices.
Potential Applications:
- Sodium Ion Batteries
- Other electrochemical devices and materials
Advantages:
- High reversible capacity
- High-rate capability
- Excellent cycling stability
- Mechanically robust
- Versatile architecture and design strategy
Development to Date:
Reduced to practice in a laboratory environment.
Relevant Publications:
Tan, X., Mo, R., Xu, J., Li, X., Yin, Q., Shen, L., Lu, Y., High Performance Sodium Ion Anodes Based on Sn4P3 Encapsulated within Amphiphilic Graphene Tubes. Adv. Energy Mater. 2022, 12, 2102345. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202102345