• New sodium ion battery stores twice the energy and desalinates seawater Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a promising option for cleaner, more sustainable energy storage. • Researchers at the University of Surrey have identified a surprisingly simple way to improve their performance by keeping water inside a critical battery material instead of removing it. • Lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the market, but they depend on costly materials that can harm the environment. • Sodium, by contrast, is abundant and widely accessible. • Even so, matching the performance of lithium-ion technology has been a major hurdle for sodium-ion systems. • Water Boosts Sodium Vanadium Oxide Performance In research published in theJournal of Materials Chemistry A, scientists examined sodium vanadium oxide, a well-known sodium-based compound.
Article Summaries:
- Researchers at the University of Surrey have shown that retaining the natural water content in sodium vanadium oxide (NVOH) dramatically improves sodium‑ion battery performance. The hydrated cathode stores nearly twice the charge of conventional sodium‑ion materials, charges faster, and remains stable for over 400 cycles, ranking it among the best reported sodium cathodes. In salt‑water tests, the material continued to operate efficiently while removing sodium ions, while a graphite anode extracted chloride ions, demonstrating a potential for electrochemical desalination. This finding suggests sodium‑ion batteries could offer high‑energy storage and fresh‑water generation using seawater as a safe, abundant electrolyte.
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