By Successfully Suppressing Jahn–Teller Effect
The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) announced on Jan. 27 that professor Lee Hyun-wook and his research team at its School of Energy and Chemical Engineering succeeded in suppressing the Jahn–Teller effect, which limits sodium-ion battery duration.
A sodium-ion battery is characterized by employing sodium instead of lithium so that the production cost can be reduced, and the production can be facilitated. The outcome of the research is expected to facilitate large-scale energy storage system development for commercial use.
Manganese-based materials are suitable for positive electrodes in sodium-ion batteries. Those materials are characterized by a substantial degree of microstructural distortion. The team successfully suppressed the microstructural deformation by chemical reaction rate control in the positive electrode material.
Specifically, the team used a high-concentration water-soluble electrolyte to reduce battery capacity decline and achieve service life extension. “The use of the electrolyte resulted in chemical reaction acceleration compared to the use of a low-concentration organic electrolyte,” the professor said.
The research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jung Young-hwa at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory and professor Lee Suk-woo at Nanyang Technological University. Details have been published in the Advanced Functional Materials journal.