Australian researchers develop ‘breakthrough’ sodium battery

Led by Dr Shenlong Zhao from the College of Sydney’s Faculty of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the battery is made utilizing sodium-sulphur and may very well be a less expensive different to lithium.

Industrial use of fresh power sources is accelerating, as is family power storage, however value stays a barrier for a lot of.

“Our sodium battery has the potential to dramatically cut back prices whereas offering 4 occasions as a lot storage capability,” Zhao mentioned.

“This can be a important breakthrough for renewable power growth.”

The group of researchers, who’ve had their analysis revealed within the journal Superior Supplies, say the brand new, low-cost battery may considerably cut back the price of transitioning to a decarbonised economic system.

“When the solar isn’t shining and the breeze isn’t blowing, we want high-quality storage options that don’t value the earth and are simply accessible on an area or regional stage,” Zhao mentioned.

“We hope that by offering a expertise that reduces prices we are able to sooner attain a clear power horizon … the sooner we are able to decarbonise, the higher probabilities we’ve of capping warming.”

He mentioned power storage manufactured utilizing plentiful sources like sodium, which might be processed from sea water, may additionally enable extra nations to hitch the shift to internet zero emissions.

Though sodium-sulphur (Na-S) batteries have existed for greater than half a century, they’ve been seen as an inferior different due to a low-energy capability and brief life cycles.

Utilizing a easy pyrolysis course of and carbon-based electrodes, the battery took on super-high capability and ultra-long life at room temperature.

The researchers say the Na-S battery can also be a extra power dense and fewer poisonous different to lithium-ion batteries, which, whereas used extensively in digital units and for power storage, are costly to fabricate and recycle.

The battery has been particularly designed for big renewable power storage methods, akin to electrical grids.

The lab-scale batteries have been fabricated and examined within the College of Sydney’s chemical engineering facility, and there are plans to enhance and commercialise the cells.

– AAP