Abstract
Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is critical to a stable, resilient, and decarbonized electric grid. While batteries are emerging as important LDES devices, extended, high-power discharges necessary for cost-competitive LDES present new materials challenges. Focusing on a new generation of low-temperature molten sodium batteries, we explore here unique phenomena related to long-duration discharge through a well-known solid electrolyte, NaSICON. Specifically, molten sodium symmetric cells at 110 ° C were cycled at 0.1 A cm−2 for 1–23 h discharges. Longer discharges led to unstable overpotentials, reduced resistances, and decreased electrolyte strength, caused by massive sodium penetration not observed in shorter duration discharges. Scanning electron microscopy informed mechanisms of sodium penetration and even “healing” during shorter-duration cycling. Importantly, these findings show that traditional, low-capacity, shorter-duration tests may not sufficiently inform fundamental materials phenomena that will impact LDES battery performance. This case highlights the importance that candidate LDES batteries be tested under pertinent long-duration conditions.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2024
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ad3bec
Funding Information
This work was conducted through a collaboration between the University of Kentucky and Sandia National Laboratories and was supported by the Energy Storage Program, managed by Dr Imre Gyuk, in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) under contract DE- NA0003525. This written work is authored by an employee of NTESS. The employee, not NTESS, owns the right, title and interest in and to the written work and is responsible for its contents. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the written work do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government. The publisher acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a non- exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this written work or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan.
Repository Citation
Hill, Ryan C.; Peretti, Amanda S.; Small, Leo J.; Spoerke, Erik D.; and Cheng, Yang-Tse, "Shorting at Long Duration: Impact of Extended Discharge Capacity on Battery Solid Electrolytes" (2024). Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications. 108.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cme_facpub/108
Included in
Chemical Engineering Commons, Condensed Matter Physics Commons, Materials Chemistry Commons, Semiconductor and Optical Materials Commons
Notes/Citation Information
© 2024 The Electrochemical Society (“ECS”). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.