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Advancing Sodium-ion Battery Cycle Life: Understanding Degradation in Hard Carbon Anodes

Project description

Making sodium batteries last longer

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are a viable alternative to lithium-based energy storage because of their cost and resource advantages. However, their short cycle life remains a challenge. While hard carbon, the most promising anode material, has good energy density, it degrades too quickly. The underlying mechanisms of this degradation remain poorly understood. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions scheme, the EISNMR project combines cutting-edge techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to examine sodium-ion behaviour at the electrode interface. By elucidating charge transfer and solid electrolyte interphase formation across varying temperatures and electrolyte compositions, the project aims to reveal the root cause of degradation and harness more stable, longer-duration sodium-ion batteries.

Objective

Na-ion battery (NIB) is the most promising technology among the next generation battery technologies. The main issue facing NIB is in their low cycle life. Limited cycle life of Na batteries results from degradation mechanisms occurring at both the cathode and the anode. While multiple cathode materials have been developed, the best-performing anode material remains hard carbon. Despite hard carbon's acceptable energy density, it suffers from inadequate cycle life. Significant efforts have been made to understand Na storage mechanisms in hard carbon. However, little effort has been devoted to understanding the degradation mechanisms and strategies to mitigate them. I propose research spanning multiple scales to evaluate the mechanisms causing degradation in hard carbon anodes and develop strategies to inhibit them, focusing on SEI and charge transfer mechanisms, and their influence by various operating parameters. This work will involve intensive mechanistic studies of Na-ion charge transfer and interfacial processes by conducting in-situ Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) measurements, which will identify and quantify the contributions of both Na-ion charge transfer and interface to hard carbon degradation. I will employ hard carbon symmetric cell configuration that allows for detailed analysis without the contribution from other electrodes. I will scale this mechanistic work with various parameters including electrolyte composition and temperature. The results will identify the primary contributors to the low cycle life of hard carbon anodes and bring strategies to extend their cycle life.

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 276 187,92
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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