Shufeng Song

A hybrid polymer/oxide/ionic-liquid solid electrolyte for Na-metal batteries

The development of solid electrolytes with superior electrical and electrochemical performances for the room-temperature operation of sodium (Na)-based batteries is at the infant stage and still remains a challenge. Herein, we, for the first time, report hybrid solid electrolytes consisting of PEO20–NaClO4–5% SiO2–x% Emim FSI (x = 50, 70) designed for solid-state Na-metal batteries. The hybrid design yields a solid electrolyte featuring a high room-temperature ionic conductivity of 1.3 × 10−3 S cm−1, suitable mechanical property, a wide voltage stability window of 4.2 V and a high Na+ transference number of 0.61. A prototypical Na-metal battery using this hybrid solid electrolyte demonstrates promising long-term cycling performances at room temperature and at an elevated temperature of 60 °C for 100 cycles. The finding implies that the hybrid solid electrolyte is promising for Na-metal batteries operating at room temperature.

Na-rich layered Na 2 Ti 1−x Cr x O 3−x/2 (x = 0, 0.06): Na-ion battery cathode materials with high capacity and long cycle life

Rechargeable lithium batteries have been well-known and indispensable for portable electronic devices, and have the potential to be used in electric vehicles and smart grids. However, the growing concerns about the availability of lithium resources for large-scale applications have revived interest in sodium ion batteries. Of many obstacles to commercialization of Na-ion batteries, achieving simultaneously a large reversible capacity and good cycling capability of electrode materials remains a major challenge. Here, we report a new cathode material, Na-rich layered oxide Na2Ti0.94Cr0.06O2.97, that delivers high reversible capacity of 336 mAh g−1 at current density of 18.9 mA g−1 along with promising cycling capability of 74% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at current of 378 mA g−1. The high capacity is associated to the redox reaction of oxygen, which is confirmed here by a combined experimental and theoretical study. The present work therefore shows that materials beyond mainstream layered oxides and polyanion compounds should be considered as candidate high-performance cathodes for Na-ion batteries.

Ceramic Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Li Batteries

All-solid-state batteries have gained much attention as the next-generation batteries. This book is about various Li ion ceramic electrolytes and their applications to all-solid-state battery. It contains a wide range of topics from history of ceramic electrolytes and ion conduction mechanisms to recent research achievements. Here oxide-type and sulfide-type ceramic electrolytes are described in detail. Additionally, their applications to all-solid-state batteries, including Li-air battery and Li-S battery, are reviewed.Consisting of fundamentals and advanced technology, this book would be suitable for beginners in the research of ceramic electrolytes; it can also be used by scientists and research engineers for more advanced development.

Application of sodium-ion-based solid electrolyte in electrostatic tuning of carrier density in graphene

Using a solid electrolyte to tune the carrier density in thin-film materials is an emerging technique that has potential applications in both basic and applied research. Until now, only materials containing small ions, such as protons and lithium ions, have been used to demonstrate the gating effect. Here, we report the study of a lab-synthesised sodium-ion-based solid electrolyte, which shows a much stronger capability to tune the carrier density in graphene than previously reported lithium-ion-based solid electrolyte. Our findings may stimulate the search for solid electrolytes better suited for gating applications, taking benefit of many existing materials developed for battery research.