Sodium-ion battery could challenge lithium-ion dominance

News

Researchers have created a sodium-ion battery that holds as much energy and works as well as some commercial lithium-ion battery chemistries.

This is the claim of a team from Washington State University (WSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) whose research could lead to a viable battery technology made with abundant and inexpensive materials.

MRI pinpoints interactions within sodium ion batteries

The team’s sodium-ion battery is reportedly capable of delivering a capacity similar to some lithium-ion batteries and to recharge successfully, keeping more than 80 per cent of its charge after 1,000 cycles. The research, led by Yuehe Lin, professor in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Xiaolin Li, a senior research scientist at PNNL is published in the journal, ACS Energy Letters.

"This is a major development for sodium-ion batteries," said Dr. Imre Gyuk, director of Energy Storage for the US Department of Energy's Office of Electricity who supported this work at PNNL. "There is great interest around the potential for replacing Li-ion batteries with Na-ion in many applications."

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address