From Li‐Ion Batteries toward Na‐Ion Chemistries: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

versatile energy storage device, which, nowadays, powers anything from microsensors to electric vehicles. Granted, the limitation to only three recipients is a restriction of the Nobel committee, we must equally acknowledge other scientists, some of whom will be mentioned in this essay, whose key contributions led to the development of one of humanity's greatest achievements of the last century. Based on the discoveries of the aforementioned Nobel laureates, LIBs were commercialized in 1991 by SONY and immediately experienced a double-digit growth in sales. [2] It took only 6 years for the LIB market share to surpass that of incumbent battery technologies, the likes of nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. [3] This phenomenal growth was made possible by the rise in portable consumer electronic devices (e.g., cassette recorders, discmans, personal care appliances, and mobile phones). The problem was powering these devices off-grid for long periods of time. [4] The lightweight and high energy density characteristics of LIBs made them ideal for these applications. This also meant that there was no direct competition between LIBs and existing battery technologies; for example, the sales in NiCd and NiMH in Japan did not decline as a result of the exponential growth in LIB sales. [3] Evidently, a new market segment had emerged and the LIB was an idea whose time had come. Since the first commercial LIB, portable consumer electronics have drastically evolved, in form and function. Often, we cite Moore's law, an observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles, about every 2 years. [5,6] This means, computing speed has roughly doubled biennially, giving rise to "smart" devices. The battery energy density needed to run these complex devices has also increased, albeit at a slower rate. This is because of fundamental chemical limitations, and increasing the useful energy density of batteries has proved to be an enormous challenge. [7] Nevertheless, there remains room to improve other battery properties such as cost, cycling stability, safety, environmental toxicity, and cell design. [8-11] An outstanding feature of LIBs is their ability to continually find new applications. Of late, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) pioneered by Tesla Inc., BYD, and Nissan have been successfully commercialized, powered by LIBs. [12] A Tesla model S with an on-board battery pack of 100 kWh has a driving range of 600 km, certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. [13] The global fleet of electric cars and busses currently stands at 4 million, a number that is expected to reach Among the existing energy storage technologies, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have unmatched energy density and versatility. From the time of their first commercialization in 1991, the growth in LIBs has been driven by portable devices. In recent years, however, large-scale electric vehicle and stationary applications have emerged. Because LIB raw material deposits are unevenly distributed and prone to pric...

Simultaneous Regulation on Solvation Shell and Electrode Interface for Dendrite‐Free Zn Ion Batteries Achieved by a Low‐Cost Glucose Additive

“…The urgent problems in both energy shortage and environmental pollution have propelled the whole world to new technologies in the energy storage field. The commercialization of Li‐ion batteries already brought us tremendously convenient life, but still suffers from several issues including high economic cost and low safety [1–4] . Compared with them, aqueous metal‐ion batteries especially Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising alternatives since their higher volumetric capacity (5855 Ah L −1 for Zn anode vs. 2061 Ah L −1 for Li anode), lower materials and assembling cost, and safer operation [1, 5–7] .…”

Promises and Challenges of Sn‐Based Anodes for Sodium‐Ion Batteries†

“…[ 5‐6 ] Inspired by sharing similar working fundament to LIBs, sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted extensive interests as a prospective alternative in large scale energy storage, because sodium has an abundant natural reserve and does not form an alloy with Al that can be served as a current collector for the anode. [ 7‐10 ] Nevertheless, the conventional graphite anodes for LIBs cannot be employed in SIBs, since there would not be enough interlayer spaces to accommodate large Na ions (Na + : 1.02 Å vs . Li + : 0.76 Å).…”

A phosphite-based layered framework as a novel positive electrode material for Na-ion batteries

“…In particular, Na-ion batteries are actively studied owing to the global uniform distribution and high abundance of sodium resources, and an energy storage mechanism similar to that of LIBs has helped in a rapid progress in the field of SIBs. [2][3][4] Exploration and development of suitable positive and negative electrode materials for the reversible Na storage with high energy density and at low-cost is vital for the extensive commercialization of SIBs. Hard carbon, as a promising negative electrode material for Na-ion batteries, delivers high capacity of >300 mAh g -1 .…”