A team of experts from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has developed a better battery anode binder combination for salty sodium-ion chemistry, according to a report from the lab.
The researchers from the institute, or JAIST, said in the summary that they are working with hard carbons as the electrode material. It's part of efforts from experts around the world to develop better-performing power packs with cheaper materials that are easier to gather. For example, graphite and other elements common in lithium-ion packs are sometimes subject to troublesome foreign supply markets.
Sodium-ion batteries leverage salt, which is easily gathered from seawater and other Earthbound deposits, in the chemistry. It's a technology that's being developed by Chinese electric vehicle juggernaut BYD, among others.
A key part of the JAIST innovation has been vetting hard carbon — a solid form of the material that can't be turned into graphite, per ScienceDirect — as a battery component. Importantly, the team studied degradation in the electrodes and electrolyte during cycling, all per the summary. When a battery operates, ions move between the anode and cathode in an electrolyte.
While promising, the researchers found that hard carbon had some stability issues during operation, which limited commercialization potential. In response, the team began to tinker with binders to aid the charge/discharge cycle and maintain reaction speeds. The result is a hard carbon anode with a "poly(fumaric acid)," or PFA, binder.
The lab summary describes a busy lab where the experts mixed the PFA, hard carbon, and other substances in an "aqueous slurry." A copper foil was coated with the slurry and dried overnight to form the anode. A sodium metal disc was used as a cathode with a sodium salt as the electrolyte.
"This class of materials will be adopted in fast-charging energy storage systems for commercial applications, as this binder promotes improved sodium-ion diffusion," Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi said in an Interesting Engineering story on the research. "This study will encourage the development of more advanced materials, paving the way for new sodium-ion powered electronic devices and electric vehicles."
The pack was put through numerous tests, retaining 85.4% of its capacity after 250 cycles.
Better batteries are important as we continue to transition to cleaner vehicles and energy systems. By powering EVs and storing renewable energy for later use, we can cut production of heat-trapping air pollution, linked by NASA to an increased risk of severe weather.
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Rooftop solar tech paired with home-based battery storage units, like Tesla's Powerwall, can leverage the latest power pack innovations for gains at home. Tax breaks worth up to 30% of installation costs are available to help make solar panels more affordable. A government study found that homeowners save nearly $700 a year with rooftop systems after factoring out expenses.
Improved packs can increase those gains, and the JAIST experts are ready to push their innovation to the next level.
"In the future, we aim to conduct joint research with companies for its commercial implementation," Matsumi said in the lab summary.
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