Project description
Prototyping secure sodium solid-state batteries
Traditional lithium-ion batteries are based on hard-to-source materials and can pose safety risks. With funding from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the STREAM project plans to solve this by investigating sodium-based all-solid-state batteries and their electrochemical and mechanical properties. Researchers will examine the propagation of metals through the electrolyte by making operando optical measurements on cells with in-plane geometry in a cutting-edge design. Using this data, they will calculate the optimal stack pressure and electrolyte thickness to manufacture cells for a brand-new prototype, limiting potential dendrite formation. The prototype will also be made solvent-free and be readily upscalable.
Objective
Na-based all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are promising alternatives to solve the intrinsic safety and raw materials availability issues related to current Li-ion technology. Moreover, they theoretically overcome the state-of-the-art performance of available cells, by enabling the use of metallic negative electrode. However, the metal penetration over cycling plagues the performance of ASSBs, leading to dangerous short circuits, which can be mitigated by opportune synthesis conditions of the solid electrolytes, as well as by opportune cell stack pressure. To get insights into Na-based systems, at present under explored, this project, STREAM (Sodium Through Rigid Electrolyte: Advanced Measurements), aims to study the relations between mechanical properties and electrochemical behaviour of a selected class of Na-based solid electrolytes, SEs (hydroborates and derivatives), prepared by cost-effective, solvent-free and upscalable mechanochemical syntheses. The metal propagation through the electrolyte will be studied by operando optical measurements on symmetrical Na|SE|Na cells, with an in-plane geometry, a cutting-edge investigation technique never applied to such class of materials, flanked by post mortem SEM and AFM characterizations. The opportune conditions of preparation and cell manufacturing (stack pressure, electrolyte thickness) preventing or limiting the dendrite formation will be therefore transferred to a complete cell prototype, equipped with high-voltage-operating positive electrodes. By correlating electrochemical signature with mechanism of cell failure driven by metal propagation inside the battery, this study will provide a reliable series of data that can open the gate for implementing AI-driven quality control and safety tests on commercial/prototypes ASSBs.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
07100 Sassari
Italy