GOALI: High-Energy Density and Low Polysulfide Shuttling Sodium-Sulfur Battery System

Concerns over global energy supply and CO2 emissions have spurred intensive research on energy storage technologies to facilitate the growth and integration of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar for electric transportation and power grids. Electrochemical battery systems are the most promising energy storage technology that would transform these industries.

However, incumbent lithium-ion battery technologies are unlikely to meet the energy density and cost requirements. Further, their scale-up and wider adoption are constrained by resource availability. Therefore, new high-energy density battery systems using abundant and low-cost materials are needed to meet these challenges.

In collaboration with Saft America, the investigators propose a high-energy density and low polysulfide shuttling sodium-sulfur battery that takes advantage of abundant elements such as sodium, sulfur and oxygen. Additionally, this new technology will synergistically incorporate multiple reactions in a single electrochemical system. The development of the high-energy density and low-cost sodium-sulfur battery technology can potentially have transformational impact on the nation’s energy security.

The practical, scalable, and cost-effective battery technology developed here can enable wider adoption of battery technology for transportation and electrical grid with limited resource constraints for the material supply chain. By working with Saft America, this project will enhance partnerships between academia and industry and facilitate the transfer of laboratory inventions to the market place.

Graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in research and industry internship through this project, and institutional resources will be leveraged to recruit students from underrepresented groups to participate in this project.

This GOALI project aims to break ground for fundamental research on understanding the reaction mechanism in the novel, high-energy density and low polysulfide shuttling sodium-sulfur battery system (Na/(O2)-S) to further improve the electrochemical performance of the system and enable optimal battery design in industry-relevant operating condition. This goal will be achieved by three objectives: (1) To understand the reaction pathway of the Na-(O2)-S electrode in Na/(O2)-S battery by identifying the intermediate and final reaction products by in-situ experimental characterization. (2) To understand the reaction kinetics by investigating interfacial kinetics and nucleation and growth rate of the discharge products during the electrochemical reactions in the Na/(O2)-S system. (3) Evaluate the performance of Na/(O2)-S battery system under industry-relevant settings.

These studies will advance the knowledge and understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of metal-oxygen-polysulfide electrochemical reactions at room temperature in both solution and solid precipitation regions. The insight gained here will thus address critical needs in the development of the high-energy density battery using abundant materials and lay foundation for future research in this area.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.