Rechargeable Room‐Temperature Na–CO₂ Batteries

Abstract

Developing rechargeable Na-CO2 batteries is significant for energy conversion and utilization of CO2 . However, the reported batteries in pure CO2 atmosphere are non-rechargeable with limited discharge capacity of 200 mAh g(-1) . Herein, we realized the rechargeability of a Na-CO2 battery, with the proposed and demonstrated reversible reaction of 3 CO2 +4 Na↔2 Na2 CO3 +C. The battery consists of a Na anode, an ether-based electrolyte, and a designed cathode with electrolyte-treated multi-wall carbon nanotubes, and shows reversible capacity of 60000 mAh g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) (≈1000 Wh kg(-1) ) and runs for 200 cycles with controlled capacity of 2000 mAh g(-1) at charge voltage <3.7 V. The porous structure, high electro-conductivity, and good wettability of electrolyte to cathode lead to reduced electrochemical polarization of the battery and further result in high performance. Our work provides an alternative approach towards clean recycling and utilization of CO2 .

Progress and Future Perspectives on Li(Na)–CO2 Batteries

“…[50] The reversible formation and decomposition of Na 2 CO 3 was detected by in situ Raman, ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Meanwhile, the reversibility of CO 2 was also verified by measuring the evolved gas during the charging process.…”

“…[50,59] Both DFT calculations and Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results suggest that the porous structure and activated surface of the a-MCNTs facilitated the adsorption of CO 2 , the storage of discharge product, and the cathode reactions (Figure 8). Therefore, a low overpotential of 1.39 V is observed for the cells with a-MCNT cathodes compared with that with nonactivated MCNT cathode (2.04 V) (Figure 8f), which is a preliminary indication of the effectiveness of a-MCNT cathodes.…”

“…Moreover, rechargeable Na-CO 2 batteries were also realized using NaClO 4 -TEGDME as electrolyte. [50] Adding redox mediators to the electrolyte has proved to be an efficient method to enhance the performance of Li-O 2 batteries. [68][69][70] LiBr as an electrolyte redox mediator was first applied in rechargeable Li-CO 2 batteries with TEGDME/ lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) electrolyte by Zhou and co-workers.…”

Hierarchical Porous Carbon Spheres for High‐Performance Na–O2 Batteries

“…[12][13][14][15] The stability limit of the carbon electrode in Li-O 2 batteries has been reported to be ≈3.5 V (vs Li/Li + ). [22,23] In 2013, Hartmann et al reported a room-temperature Na-O 2 battery that could be cycled with a much lower charge overpotential (η < 200 mV) and better rechargeability (Coulombic efficiency [CE] > 90%) than otherwise identical Li-O 2 batteries (η > 1 V and CE < 80%). [16,17] Parallel to the pursuit of rechargeable Li-O 2 batteries, research interests in aprotic sodium-air (Na-O 2 ) batteries have surged recently because of their relatively high theoretical specific energy and particularly their uncompromised round-trip efficiency.…”

Zwitterions for Organic/Perovskite Solar Cells, Light‐Emitting Devices, and Lithium Ion Batteries: Recent Progress and Perspectives

“…For example, in most of Li + and Na + batteries carbonate-based electrolytes are widely used; but these electrolytes have the drawbacks of potential leakage, inflammability and volatility, which create major safety issue and reduce lifetime, (particularly at high temperatures). [201][202][203][204] To get rid of all these difficulties, development of efficient solid electrolyte interfacial materials is highly demanded to act as novel medium for Li/ Na-based batteries. [198,199] So, to avoid these problems, surface chemistry of the electrodes must be optimized to obtain an enhanced electrochemical performance of the device.…”