in the pages of the magazine Advanced materials The results of the research conducted by Chinese scientists from several universities in both the Middle Kingdom and Australia have come out. They report an extraordinary event – they have developed a new type of sodium sulfur battery that has achieved four times the energy of the currently dominant lithium-ion “batteries” on the market.
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To date, Na-S batteries have not been considered as potential alternatives to lithium-ion batteries which are expensive to produce and difficult to recycle. Although it is less toxic, has a higher energy density and its prototypes were created 50 years ago, it has a low energy capacity and a short life. The problems stem from “low sulfur mass loading and poor cycle stability due to the polysulfide swing effect.”
The sodium sulfur battery was saved. Formerly considered useless, it has now returned to favour
The researchers improved the battery by conducting a pyrolysis process and using sulfur-doped carbon electrodes to improve the reaction of this element and reverse the reaction of sulfur and sodium. As a result, the battery gained an unexpectedly high energy capacity and a longer life at room temperature. As endorsed by Dr Shenlong Zhao of the University of Sydney:
Our sodium battery can significantly reduce costs while providing up to four times more capacity (significant compared to lithium-ion batteries). This is a major breakthrough in the development of renewable energy.
What potential applications could the newer sodium-sulfur batteries have? It was developed for large-scale energy storage systems, such as electrical grids. This type of “battery” will significantly reduce the operating costs of the system.
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