Scientists have used nano-materials to develop Na-ion-based batteries and supercapacitors, which can be charged quickly and integrated into e-cycles. Low-level Na-ion-based technologies can be cheaper and are expected to significantly reduce e-cycle costs. Sodium-ion batteries (Na-ion) have sparked educational and commercial interest as a possible complementary technology for lithium-ion batteries due to the natural abundance of sodium and the low cost of Na-ion batteries.
Professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Dr. Amreesh Chandra, is researching to develop energy-saving technologies, based on Na-ion, and his team has developed a large number of nanomaterials. The team used sodium iron phosphates and sodium manganese phosphates which they combined to obtain Na-ion-based batteries and supercapacitors with assistance from the Technology Mission Division (TMD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. These sodium compounds were combined with various carbon novel properties to improve battery performance.
These sodium substances are cheaper than Li-based substances, which are more efficient, and can be grown up to industrial production. The Na-ion cell can also be completely discharged at zero volt, similar to a capacitor, making it a safer option compared to many other storage technologies. Taking advantage of the fact that Na-ion batteries can be charged quickly, Drs. Amreesh has integrated it into e-cycles – a simple, affordable option for the general public.
With further development, the price of these vehicles can be reduced to Rs. 10-15 K, which makes them about 25% cheaper than e-cycles based on Li-ion storage technology. As Na-ion battery-disposal techniques will be simpler, they can also help in dealing with climate change. A study of Supercapacitors was published in the Journal of Power Sources, and several patents are in the pipeline for the use of these Na-ion-based batteries in e-cycles. This research project is funded under DST’s Materials for Energy Storage.
For more read: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ra/d1ra05474k https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775321011745?via%3Dihub
