Effective and efficient energy management is critical to modern societies, requiring increasingly sophisticated approaches to satisfy demands. In energy storage research it is proving increasingly important to develop a toolkit of wide-ranging electrochemical systems capable of meeting future challenges – whatever their requirements. Sodium ion Battery (SIB) systems (which offer readily transferable technology with low cost and readily available constituents) have a range of potential applications, and are particularly suited to use in stationary systems. Interest in SIB anodes has encompassed such systems as intermetallic alloying materials and metal oxides, as well utilizing electrolyte co-solvation effects in order to enable the use of graphite. However, hard-carbons remain popular due to their attractive combination of low cost and high energy density, and work into understanding the mechanisms behind their performance and behaviour may prove useful for the rational design and optimization of future materials. Currently SIB cathode research has been very fruitful, and there is a plethora of options to choose from, including Prussian blue and organic materials. However, the most promising are polyanionic and layered materials, with their good combinations of electrochemical performance, low cost, stability and available constituents. It may be significant that although many of the developments for SIB are relatively new, when compared to lithium ion batteries (LIBs), rapid progress resulting from intense research efforts has led to devices being fabricated at the prototyping level. Presented here is an overview of the current research in SIB, with a focus on electrode design in terms of relevant active materials for cathodes and anodes. We will discuss relevant advances at the prototype level, as well as highlighting some of the significant materials developments achieved in recent years. By examining this topic in detail, we will emphasize potential pathways to the improved rational design and development of future SIB electrode materials.

Innovating materials for sodium-ion electrodes: Pathways to progress

256th National Meeting (2018)

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