Scientists from the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a sodium-ion battery (NIB) that can purportedly overcome the main challenge with such storage systems – the ability to hold a charge after repeated cycles of charging and discharging.
The researchers said this issue is strictly correlated to the instability of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), which is generated on the anode of lithium-ion batteries during the first few charging cycles, in order to prevent electrolyte decomposition and maintain cycling ability. The SEI layer should be well adhered to the electrode material, exhibit good electronic insulation properties, and be able to conduct lithium ions.
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