Implementation period: 2025-03-01 - 2028-02-29
Type: National
Division: The Division of Applied Geochemistry and Environmental Engineering
Building battery systems to store energy produced from renewable sources should be considered to achieve green and sustainable energy development. Nowadays the most popular technology for energy storage is Li-ion batteries. However, due to continuous increase in the price of lithium, poor depositions, and its location in politically unstable areas, it is necessary to find an alternative. Na-ion batteries are now the technology of choice for next-generation rechargeable batteries, because of significantly reduced costs and practically unlimited resources of sodium. However, the energy density of Na-ion batteries is much lower than Li-ion batteries.
The concept of this project uses the synergy between Li+ cathode, which has a higher capacity than Na+ cathode, ensures high energy density and Na metal anode, which lowers the cost of Hybrid Li/Na Battery (HLNB) comparing with Li-ion battery and exhibits much higher capacity (1166 mAh/g) than graphite (372 mAh/g) in Li-ion batteries. If only electrode weights are taken into account, hybrid cell with Na-metal anode has much higher energy density (475 Wh/kg) than with graphite (408 Wh/kg), if LiFePO4 is used as a cathode. Also, HLNB can suppress Na dendrite formation due to the shield effect of co-existence Li ions in the electrolyte, improving the safety of HNLB. Moreover, usage of commercial Li+ cathode does not require any investments for cathode industrialization, leading to reduction of development cost drastically and rapid commercialization of HLNB. Thus, HNLB can invade Li-ion battery market directly. This project aims to develop high performance HNLB by using novel solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) and Li-rich Li(NiMnCo)O2 (NMC) based cathode materials. HLNB is composed of a cathode of Li+ host material, Na metal anode (or anode free) and an electrolyte of hybrid Li+/Na+ solution. Research on HLNB is still in infant stage. In this project, high performance Li-rich cathode (220 mAh/g) will be developed for HLNB first time. Various chemical compositions and morphologies (and coating layers) of the Li-rich cathode will be prepared and tested. SPEs composed of host polymer and metal salts can avoid the electrolyte leakage and allow using pouch-cell configuration, which drastically improve energy density of HLNB. SPEs have not been applied for HLNB yet. At first, a suitable combination of polymer host and metal salts will be studied. Then, plasticizers and fillers will be investigated to improve ionic conductivity of the SPE. Cells will be constructed with Na-metal anode and anode-free configuration where sodium will be deposited directly on the current collector, since that solution is much more applicable for commercialization. Polish partners have long research experience in synthesis and research on cathode and anode materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, especially Li-rich cathodes. PI in Taiwan has researched SPEs for Na, Mg, Al batteries and constructed batteries with SPEs. Therefore, both sides of international consortium complement knowledge and experience each other and provide appropriate facilities for the project implementation.
This project will reclaim a new research area in both countries and help the nations gain initiative and a leadership to the world for the development of HLNB which is the most promising post Li technology.
Coordinator: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Science
Project budget: 384 957,00 PLN
Principal Investigator: Ph.D. Emil Hanc, contact: emilhanc@min-pan.krakow.pl
