Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “sodium battery”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A High-Performance Na-Al Battery Based on Reversible NaAlCl4 Catholyte

This work demonstrates a high-capacity and safe Na-Al battery pairing sodium metal anode and reversible NaAlCl4 catholyte for grid scale energy storage applications. The energy-rich sodium anode allows the full play of the aluminum cathode, resulting in a full-cell capacity of 308 mAh/g at a discharge voltage of 1.6 V. Benefiting from the use of ??-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE), molten sodium anode and reversible Al deposition/stripping from NaAlCl4 catholyte, the battery presents a stable Coulombic efficiency of 100% and energy efficiency of ~95%. At a rate of C/3 (6.77 mA/cm2), the cell maintains 282 mAh/g (447 Wh/kg) after 200 cycles with an excellent capacity retention of 97.6%. Moreover, we elucidate pathways to build sodium-anode-free cells from the discharged state under dry air, which further extends the feasibility of this battery for stationary storage applications. These findings are expected to provide a new platform for the development of practical Al batteries.

Zhan, Xiaowen↗
DOE OSTI2024

CRADA Number NFE-21-08827 with DayLyte, Inc. (CRADA Final Report)

DayLyte Batteries is developing an aqueous Sodium-Air battery made with abundant materials while being half to a third the weight of Li-ion to power electric aircraft, electric vehicles and provide renewable energy on demand. To make this battery practical, DayLyte is developing a thin film ceramic Nasicon solid electrolyte amenable to rapid scaleup as well as a protective coating that will protect the solid electrolyte from 50wt% NaOH during the battery’s end-of-discharge while still allowing Na-ions to pass back and forth. If the thin film solid electrolyte and stable coating can be developed it will open the world to step change in battery performance all while not sacrificing the environment on the way. The project was designed to first focus on making and characterizing the Nasicon membrane followed by measuring its electrochemical performance, then assembling a full cell, optimizing its NaOH stability and then optimize the overall prototype design. Over the past two years, we have significantly improved the Nasicon film uniformity, demonstrated protective ligands that are stable in 50wt% NaOH by measuring no mass change with a quartz crystal microbalance, tested different heating methods like tube furnace and rapid heating and developed glassy carbon coatings on the current collector to prevent Nasicon-current collector alloying. We have found that getting film uniformity as measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is difficult because of different factors like surface roughness, deposition uniformity and heat treatment time and uniformity. The glassy carbon coating should significantly reduce the surface roughness and by tuning the coating conditions the film deposition uniformity improves and using an automated heating method should lead to much improved film uniformity.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparison of Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Gel Electrolytes for Sodium, Potassium, and Calcium Batteries: Influence of Polymer Chemistry, Cation Identity, Charge Density, and Solvent on Conductivity

From the standpoint of material diversification and sustainability, the development of so-called “beyond lithium-ion” battery chemistries is important for the future of energy storage. Na, K, and Ca are promising as the basis for battery chemistries in that these elements are highly abundant. Here, a series of single-ion conducting polymer electrolytes (SIPEs) for Na, K, and Ca batteries are synthesized and investigated. The two classes of metal cation neutralized SIPEs compared are crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate-x-styrene sulfonate (PEGDMA-SS) and poly(tetrahydrofuran) diacrylate-x-4-styrenesulfonyl (trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (PTHFDA-STFSI); three cation types, three charge densities, and four swelling states are examined. The impact on conductivity of all of these parameters is studied, and in conjunction with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), it is found that promoting ion dissociation and preventing the formation of dense ionic aggregates facilitates ion transport. These results indicate many of the lessons learned from the Li SIPE literature can be translated to beyond Li chemistries. At 25 °C, the best performing Na/K and Ca exchanged polymers yield active cation conductivity on the order of 10 –4 S/cm and 10 –6 S/cm, respectively, for ethylene carbonate:propylene carbonate gelled SIPEs, and 10 –5 S/cm and 10 –7 S/cm, respectively, for glyme gelled SIPEs.

X-ray scattering↗
DOE OSTI2025

Stability Enhancement in Na 0.67 Fe 0.2 Mn 0.8 O 2 Positive Electrodes via Spherical Coprecipitated Hydroxide Precursor Synthesis for Na-Ion Batteries

Mn/Fe-based layered transition metal oxides (LTMOs) are promising positive electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high abundance, low cost, and stable price fluctuations. At commercial scale, the fabrication of these materials commonly employs coprecipitation of hydroxide precursors, which allows for the scalable synthesis of uniform, dense particles with a tunable morphology. However, the common chelating agent (ammonia) forms unstable complexes with Fe 2+ ions, resulting in uncontrollable particle morphology and poor electrochemical properties. Here, in this study, three chelation strategies (no chelation, ammonia, oxalate) for Fe/Mn-based hydroxides are evaluated. It was found that oxalate chelation produced uniform, dense spherical hydroxide particles while particles via ammonia / no chelate routes exhibited no morphological control. The LTMOs synthesized from the oxalate-chelated hydroxide precursor formed uniform spherical particles, while the other two LTMOs showed greater variation in particle morphology. The oxalate-chelated LTMO electrode exhibited increased cycling stability due to reduced parasitic reactions with the electrolyte, as characterized by static leakage current measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Chemical factors controlling the behaviour of oxide cathodes in batteries

Oxide cathodes enable high-energy lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, with their performances fundamentally governed by three interrelated chemical factors: electronic configuration, chemical bonding, and chemical reactivity. Here, we illustrate how these factors dictate the redox energy, structural stability, ionic and electronic transport, and interfacial behavior in both layered oxide and polyanion oxide cathodes. We discuss how crystal-field effects and octahedral-site stabilization energies influence cation migration, and how inductive effects tune bond covalency and operating voltages. We also explain how chemical bonding governs thermal stability, gas evolution, and first-cycle capacity loss, and how alignment of transition-metal redox band with the oxygen 2p band determines electrolyte reactivity. Comparison between lithium and sodium layered oxides further reveals how differences in Li-O and Na-O bond ionicity affect chemical reactivity. Finally, we outline strategies including compositional tuning, surface doping, and electrolyte optimization, and emphasize how high-throughput, data-driven approaches in guiding the design of next-generation oxide cathodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrolyte-driven interphase stabilization in high-voltage sodium-ion full cells

Sodium-ion batteries with a high-voltage O3-type layered oxide cathode paired with a hard carbon anode can offer high energy density; however, significant interfacial instabilities driven by electrode/electrolyte reactions limit a broader industrial adoption. Localized high concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) are a rational choice as they promote salt decomposition over solvent, forming stable, inorganic-rich electrode-electrolyte interphases (EEIs). We present here a comparison of high-voltage (4.2 V) hard carbon | NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 pouch cells in LHCEs and in a standard carbonate-based electrolyte by (i) examining the influence of diluent choice on the electrochemical performance of LHCEs and (ii) investigating how the electrolyte chemistry affects the composition and structure of EEIs formed. Importantly, LHCEs demonstrate superior electrochemical performance, achieving 37% higher capacity after 200 cycles (119 vs. 87 mA h g -1 ) compared to the carbonate-based electrolyte. The enhanced stabilization provided by LHCEs at the interface with high-voltage sodium layered oxide cathode is revealed by gas evolution measurements obtained through online electrochemical mass spectrometry (OEMS). Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry paired with focused ion beam and advanced statistical analyses reveal that the superior performance of LHCE stems from a robust, thin cathode electrolyte interphase formed on the sodium layered oxide cathode and a homogeneous solid electrolyte interphase formation on the hard carbon anode. Furthermore, this study highlights the critical importance of electrolyte design in interphase stabilization, which plays a key role in advancing sodium-ion batteries toward commercial viability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electrochemical Sodiation Mechanism in Magnetite Nanoparticle-Based Anodes: Understanding of Nanoionics-Based Sodium Ion Storage Behavior of Fe 3 O 4

We report electrochemical ion storage behaviors of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, as a representative transition metal oxide for an environmentally benign and low-cost anode for a sodium-ion battery, are thoroughly investigated through a combination of electrochemical analysis and diagnostics of Fe 3 O 4 electrode cells, X-ray-based and spectroscopic analysis of material structure evolution as functions of depth of discharge (DoD) and state of charge (SoC), and first principle modeling. The gravimetric capacity is found to be 50 mA h/g for bulk Fe 3 O 4 (50 nm average crystallite size) and 100 mA h/g--about a tenth of the theoretical prediction for complete conversion--for Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (8.7 nm average particle size), respectively. A fundamental and mechanistic study of material evolution as functions of DoD and SoC shows that Fe 3 O 4 does not allow electrochemical incorporation of Na + ions into the empty cation positions of the inverse spinel structure, leading to our assertion that electrochemical intercalation of Na + ions to conversion of the Fe 3 O 4 anode in sodium-ion batteries is nonviable. A density functional theory investigation points to the impracticality of the intercalation of Na + ions into Fe 3 O 4 and further validates our experimental findings. We propose several possible mechanisms corresponding to the observed low capacity, including formation of solid electrolyte interphases with unfavorable properties and adsorption of Na + ions onto surfaces of nanoparticles and/or at heterointerfaces in Fe 3 O 4 composite electrodes in a NaPF 6 -based electrolyte system.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Composite Membrane for Sodium Polysulfide Hybrid Redox Flow Batteries

Non-aqueous redox flow batteries (NARFBs) using earth-abundant materials, such as sodium and sulfur, are promising long-duration energy storage technologies. NARFBs utilize organic solvents, which enable higher operating voltages and potentially higher energy densities compared with their aqueous counterparts. Despite exciting progress throughout the past decade, the lack of low-cost membranes with adequate ionic conductivity and selectivity remains as one of the major bottlenecks of NARFBs. Here, we developed a composite membrane composed of a thin (<25 µm) Na+-Nafion coating on a porous polypropylene scaffold. The composite membrane significantly improves the electrochemical stability of Na + -Nafion against sodium metal, exhibiting stable Na symmetric cell performance for over 2300 h, while Na + -Nafion shorted by 445 h. Additionally, the composite membrane demonstrates a higher room temperature storage modulus than the porous polypropylene scaffold and Na + -Nafion separately while maintaining high Na + conductivity (0.24 mS/cm at 20 °C). Our method shows that a composite membrane utilizing Na + -Nafion is a promising approach for sodium-based hybrid redox flow batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Revealing the Nature of Binary-Phase on Structural Stability of Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes

The emergence of layered sodium transition metal oxides featuring a multiphase structure presents a promising approach for cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries, showcasing notably improved energy storage capacity. However, the advancement of cathodes with multiphase structures faces obstacles due to the limited understanding of the integrated structural effects. Herein, the integrated structural effects by an in-depth structure-chemistry analysis in the developed layered cathode system Na x Cu 0.1 Co 0.1 Ni 0.25 Mn 0.4 Ti 0.15 O 2 with purposely designed P2/O3 phase integration, are comprehended. The results affirm that integrated phase ratio plays a pivotal role in electrochemical/structural stability, particularly at high voltage and with the incorporation of anionic redox. In contrast to previous reports advocating solely for the enhanced electrochemical performance in biphasic structures, it is demonstrated that an inappropriate composite structure is more destructive than a single-phase design. The in situ X-ray diffraction results, coupled with density functional theory computations further confirm that the biphasic structure with P2:O3 = 4:6 shows suppressed irreversible phase transition at high desodiated states and thus exhibits optimized electrochemical performance. Finally, these fundamental discoveries provide clues to the design of high-performance layered oxide cathodes for next-generation SIBs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Chemical and Structural Insights into Solid Electrolyte Interphase Evolution for Sodium Metal Electrodes

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) critically governs the reversibility of sodium metal batteries, through dynamically mediating ion transport and interfacial reactions. However, its kinetic evolution under operating conditions, and how it influences interfacial stability, remains poorly understood. Here, in this study, we reveal that the SEI undergoes coupled chemical and mechanical changes during sodium plating and stripping, leading to spatial and temporal heterogeneity that drives interfacial degradation. Synchrotron operando grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy capture the sequential formation and dissolution of inorganic SEI phases (NaF, NaH, NaOH, Na 2 PO 3 F), accompanied by depth-dependent alterations in organic SEI components. Mesoscale modeling connects this evolving SEI heterogeneity to localized current density fluctuations and stress accumulation at the Na interface, identifying pathways to electrically isolated sodium formation. These findings show that SEI instability fundamentally limits reversibility in sodium metal batteries, and that controlling SEI chemistry–mechanics coupling is essential to achieving its durability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrochemical Phase Engineering of γ′-V 2 O 5 Thin Films for Sodium-Ion Storage Electrodes

V 2 O 5 is a promising sodium-ion cathode material due to its high theoretical capacity (147 mAh/g) and working voltage (3.3 V vs Na/Na + ). Among its various crystal phases, γ′-V 2 O 5 has a large interlayer spacing, ensuring the reversible insertion–extraction of sodium ions. However, current synthesis methods for γ′-V2O5 require high temperatures (>600 °C) and toxic chemicals (NO 2 BF 4 ), which make the preparation demanding. Herein, we put forward an electrochemical phase engineering method combining thermal annealing and electrochemistry to easily prepare thin-film γ′-V 2 O 5 . Electrochemical characterization shows near-ideal performance as a thin-film cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. It shows a measured initial capacity of 152 mAh/g, a high working voltage (3.3 V vs Na + /Na), and an exceptional Coulombic efficiency of 98%, significantly surpassing previously reported values (∼50% CE). Cyclic voltammogram and galvanostatic capacity curves confirm the sodium insertion–deinsertion, which remains stable at 2 C. The γ′-V 2 O 5 thin film has electrochemical performance similar to γ′-V 2 O 5 powder, indicating another workable morphology of γ′-V 2 O 5 for sodium-ion batteries.

batteries↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pyrolytic carbon black composite and method of making the same

A method of recovering carbon black includes the step of providing a carbonaceous source material containing carbon black. The carbonaceous source material is contacted with a sulfonation bath to produce a sulfonated material. The sulfonated material is pyrolyzed to produce a carbon black containing product comprising a glassy carbon matrix phase having carbon black dispersed therein. The pyrolysis can be conducted at a temperature from 1100° C. to 1490° C. A method of making a battery electrode and a lithium ion or sodium ion battery is also disclosed.

Naskar, Amit K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Excellent cycling stability of sodium anode enabled by a stable solid electrolyte interphase formed in ether-based electrolytes

Sodium (Na)-ion batteries have been considered as one of the most promising power sources beyond Li-ion batteries. Although Na metal anode exhibits a high theoretical capacity of 1165 mAh g-1, its application on Na batteries is largely hindered by dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate that an electrolyte consists of 1 M sodium tetrafluoroborate in Tetraglyme can enable excellent cycling efficiency (99.9 %) of Na metal anode for more than 1000 cycles. This high reversibility of Na anode can be attributed to a stable solid electrolyte interphase formed on Na surface as revealed by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These electrolytes also enabled excellent cycling stability of Na||hard carbon cells and Na||Na2/3Co1/3Mn2/3O2 cells at high rate with very high coulombic efficiencies.

sodium metal, TEGDME, solid electrolyte interphase↗
DOE OSTI2026

Engineering Na‐Rich P2‐Type Layered Oxides Through Li/Ti Dual Doping for Oxygen Redox Activation and Superior Structural Stability

Sodium layered oxides Na x MO 2 (x ≤ 1 and M = transition metal ions) have gained significant interest as sodium-ion battery (NIB) cathodes owing to their high operating voltages and potential for higher energy density compared with polyanion and Prussian blue–type cathodes. However, their practical applications are often hindered by the irreversible structural transitions leading to capacity fading during cycling. The nature and substitution of transition metal ions define the material properties and electrochemical performance. In this study, through comprehensive electrochemical characterization combined with multi-scale structural and spectroscopical analyses, we demonstrate the synergistic impacts of Lithium and Titanium doping, which not only increases overall capacity by boosting cation and anion cooperative redox contributions but also improves the rate capability and cycling stability. Specifically, Li + doping enhances the available sodium inventory for extraction, while Ti 4+ disrupts Na + /vacancy ordering at lower voltages (< 4 V) and mitigates the detrimental P2→OP4/O2 phase transition during cycling. The combined effect of Lithium and Titanium doping promotes more charge localization on Oxygen, which activates reversible lattice oxygen redox reactions at elevated voltages, contributing additional capacity beyond conventional cationic redox. This work provides crucial insights into the design of high-performance, high-capacity P2-type layered cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Revealing High Na-Content P2-Type Layered Oxides as Advanced Sodium-Ion Cathodes

Layered Na-based oxides with the general composition of Na x TMO 2 (TM: transition metal) have attracted significant attention for their high compositional diversity that provides tunable electrochemical performance for electrodes in sodium-ion batteries. The various compositions bring forward complex structural chemistry that is decisive for the layered stacking structure, Na-ion conductivity, and the redox activity, potentially promising new avenues in functional material properties. In this work, we have explored the maximum Na content in P2-type layered oxides and discovered that the high-content Na in the host enhances the structural stability; moreover, it promotes the oxidation of low-valent cations to their high oxidation states (in this case Ni 2+ ). This can be rationalized by the increased hybridization of the O(2p)-TM(3d-e g *) states, affecting both the local TM environment as well as the interactions between the NaO 2 and TMO 2 layers. These properties are highly beneficial for the Na storage capabilities as required for cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries. It leads to excellent Na-ion mobility, a large storage capacity (>100 mAh g –1 between 2.0-4.0 V), yet preventing the detrimental sliding of the TMO 2 layers (P2–O2 structural transition), as reflected by the ultralong cycle life (3000 (dis)charge cycles demonstrated). These findings expand the horizons of high Na-content P2-type materials, providing new insights of the electronic and structural chemistry for advanced cathode materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

On the irreversible sodiation of tin disulfide

Tin disulfide is considered as a promising electrode material for sodium-ion batteries because of its two-dimensional layered structural characteristics allowing the intercalation of Na ions. Understanding the underlying reaction mechanisms and the decisive step of the reaction reversibility is critical for its applications. Herein, we investigate the sodiation and desodiation processes of SnS 2 by employing in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After the initial intercalation reaction, a rock-salt Na y SnS 2 phase with disordering Na and Sn cations is observed, followed with a conversion reaction and an alloying reaction. Additionally, the disordering reaction occurs along <1-10> direction of pristine SnS 2 phase which is correlated with local bonding rearrangements induced by the exchange of Sn and Na cations. In-situ TEM studies and first-principles calculations indicate that the original 2D SnS 2 structure could not be recovered during desodiation. Instead, the disordered Na y SnS 2 phase is finally formed, which indicates that the irreversible disordering transition is the determining step of irreversible cycling. This work probes the structural evolution of sodiation, providing a fundamental understanding of the electrochemical properties of metal sulfides and inspiring rational designs of high performance electrodes for sodium-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗