Volume 54, Issue 11 pp. 3431-3448
Review

The Emerging Chemistry of Sodium Ion Batteries for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Dr. Dipan Kundu

Dr. Dipan Kundu

Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada)

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Elahe Talaie

Elahe Talaie

Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada)

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Victor Duffort

Dr. Victor Duffort

Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada)

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Prof. Linda F. Nazar

Corresponding Author

Prof. Linda F. Nazar

Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada)

Department of Chemistry & Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada)Search for more papers by this author
First published: 04 February 2015
Citations: 1,922

Graphical Abstract

Below lithium: Concerns over the future cost and sustainability of resources of lithium has led to a global trend to develop low-cost sodium-ion batteries. Central to this has been the fast-developing field of non-aqueous batteries that could employ a plethora of materials for the positive and negative electrodes, and electrolytes. Apart from sustainability, they offer structural and electrochemical benefits compared to their Li analogues.

Abstract

Energy storage technology has received significant attention for portable electronic devices, electric vehicle propulsion, bulk electricity storage at power stations, and load leveling of renewable sources, such as solar energy and wind power. Lithium ion batteries have dominated most of the first two applications. For the last two cases, however, moving beyond lithium batteries to the element that lies below—sodium—is a sensible step that offers sustainability and cost-effectiveness. This requires an evaluation of the science underpinning these devices, including the discovery of new materials, their electrochemistry, and an increased understanding of ion mobility based on computational methods. The Review considers some of the current scientific issues underpinning sodium ion batteries.

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