Influence of precursor morphology and cathode processing on performance and cycle life of sodium-zinc chloride (Na-ZnCl2) battery cells

Sieuw, Louis; Lan, Tu; Svaluto-Ferro, Enea; Vagliani, Fabrizio; Kumar, Sumit; Ding, Wenjin; Turconi, Alberto; Basso, Diego; Pozzi, Andrea; Battaglia, Corsin; Heinz, Meike V.F.

doi:10.1016/j.ensm.2023.103077

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…that provided discharge voltages of 1.94 and 2.13 V, respectively (Lu et al, 2018) Similar to NiCl 2 /FeCl 2 batteries, electrode architectures and different NaCl/ZnCl 2 ratios have been studied to understand the influence of particle growth on battery performance (Kim et al, 2015b;Lee et al, 2019) This extensive effort has led to the recent demonstration of high capacity (38 Ah) tubular Na-ZnCl 2 cells by Heinz et al (from the Solstice project) which benefited from an improved understanding of the AlCl 3 -NaCl-ZnCl 2 secondary electrolyte and precursor morphology (Heinz et al, 2023;Kumar et al, 2023;Solstice, 2023;Sieuw et al, 2024).…”

Section: Metal Chlorides Beyond Nicl 2 and Feclmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Hill,

Gross,

Percival

et al. 2024

Front. Batter. Electrochem.

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The need for clean, renewable energy has driven the expansion of renewable energy generators, such as wind and solar. However, to achieve a robust and responsive electrical grid based on such inherently intermittent renewable energy sources, grid-scale energy storage is essential. The unmet need for this critical component has motivated extensive grid-scale battery research, especially exploring chemistries “beyond Li-ion”. Among others, molten sodium (Na) batteries, which date back to the 1960s with Na-S, have seen a strong revival, owing mostly to raw material abundance and the excellent electrochemical properties of Na metal. Recently, many groups have demonstrated important advances in battery chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces to lower material and operating costs, enhance cyclability, and understand key mechanisms that drive failure in molten Na batteries. For widespread implementation of molten Na batteries, though, further optimization, cost reduction, and mechanistic insight is necessary. In this light, this work provides a brief history of mature molten Na technologies, a comprehensive review of recent progress, and explores possibilities for future advancements.

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Section: Metal Chlorides Beyond Nicl 2 and Feclmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Hill,

Gross,

Percival

et al. 2024

Front. Batter. Electrochem.

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Scaling of Planar Sodium‐Nickel Chloride Battery Cells to 90 cm² Active Area

Lan,

Svaluto‐Ferro,

Kovalska

et al. 2024

Batteries & Supercaps

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High‐temperature sodium‐nickel chloride (Na‐NiCl2) batteries offer a competitive solution for stationary energy storage due to their long‐term stability, high energy efficiency, and sustainable raw materials. However, scaling up this technology faces challenges related to the costly integration of tubular Na‐β''‐alumina ceramic electrolytes into hermetically sealed battery cells. Alternative cell designs with a planar Na‐β''‐alumina ceramic electrolyte have been a focus of research for many years, and a series of achievements were made on cell design, on reduction of the operating temperature, and on the analysis of electrochemical reaction mechanisms. However, the data presented in these reports was derived from laboratory‐scale cells with small area (1‐5 cm2). To date, there has been no research conducted on enlarging planar cells to an economically viable size. Here we report the fabrication of large planar Na‐β''‐alumina electrolytes and their integration into planar Na‐NiCl2 cells with 90 cm2 active area and >7 Ah capacity. Our cell design enabled cycling at 300 °C for three months, transferring a cumulative capacity of 323 Ah. We discuss design and engineering considerations for large planar high‐temperature cells emphasizing the need for cell stacking to compete with tubular Na‐NiCl2 batteries in terms of mass‐specific energy.

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Electrical Conductivity of Binary, Ternary, Quaternary and Quinary Molten Salt Mixtures Based on NaCl-CaCl₂

Sommerseth,

Molvik,

Hillestad

et al. 2024

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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As intermittent energy sources like solar energy and wind power emerge, the need for energy storage becomes important, energy availability needs to be ensured also when the sun is not shining, and the wind is not blowing. Energy storage can also be used for peak shaving purposes during periods of high demand. Energy storage solutions need to be inexpensive and reliable. Novel all-liquid batteries are considered one option for stationary energy storage and the Na-Zn battery is currently being investigated. During charging Na metal is formed on the negative electrode from a NaCl containing electrolyte and ZnCl2 is formed from a Zn pool on the positive electrode. The electrical conductivity of the molten salt is an important factor in the ohmic loss through the electrolyte. The composition of the electrolyte decides the electrical conductivity, and this conductivity also changes during the charge/discharge cycles of the battery as the electrolyte composition changes accordingly. Electrical conductivity has been measured on different compositions of NaCl-CaCl2, NaCl-CaCl2-LiCl, NaCl-CaCl2-BaCl2, NaCl-CaCl2-ZnCl2, NaCl-CaCl2-BaCl2-SrCl2, NaCl-CaCl2-BaCl2-ZnCl2 and NaCl-CaCl2-BaCl2-SrCl2-ZnCl2 molten salts in an in-house built apparatus. The smaller ions (Li and Na) give higher electrical conductivity, while the larger ions (Ba, Sr, and Zn) reduce the electrical conductivity.

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Influence of precursor morphology and cathode processing on performance and cycle life of sodium-zinc chloride (Na-ZnCl2) battery cells

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Scaling of Planar Sodium‐Nickel Chloride Battery Cells to 90 cm² Active Area

Electrical Conductivity of Binary, Ternary, Quaternary and Quinary Molten Salt Mixtures Based on NaCl-CaCl₂

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Influence of precursor morphology and cathode processing on performance and cycle life of sodium-zinc chloride (Na-ZnCl2) battery cells

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Molten sodium batteries: advances in chemistries, electrolytes, and interfaces

Scaling of Planar Sodium‐Nickel Chloride Battery Cells to 90 cm2 Active Area

Electrical Conductivity of Binary, Ternary, Quaternary and Quinary Molten Salt Mixtures Based on NaCl-CaCl2

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Scaling of Planar Sodium‐Nickel Chloride Battery Cells to 90 cm² Active Area

Electrical Conductivity of Binary, Ternary, Quaternary and Quinary Molten Salt Mixtures Based on NaCl-CaCl₂