Harvesting energy from natural resources is of significant interest because of their abundance and sustainability. Seawater is the most abundant natural resource on earth, covering two‐thirds of the ...surface. The rechargeable seawater battery is a new energy storage platform that enables interconversion of electrical energy and chemical energy by tapping into seawater as an infinite medium. Here, an overview of the research and development activities of seawater batteries toward practical applications is presented. Seawater batteries consist of anode and cathode compartments that are separated by a Na‐ion conducting membrane, which allows only Na+ ion transport between the two electrodes. The roles and drawbacks of the three key components, as well as the development concept and operation principles of the batteries on the basis of previous reports are covered. Moreover, the prototype manufacturing lines for mass production and automation, and potential applications, particularly in marine environments are introduced. Highlighting the importance of engineering the cell components, as well as optimizing the system level for a particular application and thereby successful market entry, the key issues to be resolved are discussed, so that the seawater battery can emerge as a promising alternative to existing rechargeable batteries.
Rechargeable seawater batteries tap into earth‐abundant natural seawater as the active material to transform between electrical energy and chemical energy. The progress, challenges, and prospects of seawater batteries for practical applications are summarized.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A strategy is described to increase charge storage in a dual electrolyte Na‐ion battery (DESIB) by combining the redox chemistry of the electrolyte with a Na+ ion de‐insertion/insertion cathode. ...Conventional electrolytes do not contribute to charge storage in battery systems, but redox‐active electrolytes augment this property via charge transfer reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interface. The capacity of the cathode combined with that provided by the electrolyte redox reaction thus increases overall charge storage. An aqueous sodium hexacyanoferrate (Na4Fe(CN)6) solution is employed as the redox‐active electrolyte (Na‐FC) and sodium nickel Prussian blue (Nax‐NiBP) as the Na+ ion insertion/de‐insertion cathode. The capacity of DESIB with Na‐FC electrolyte is twice that of a battery using a conventional (Na2SO4) electrolyte. The use of redox‐active electrolytes in batteries of any kind is an efficient and scalable approach to develop advanced high‐energy‐density storage systems.
A redox‐active electrolyte is used in a dual‐electrolyte Na‐ion battery to enhance its capacity performance. When an aqueous Na4Fe(CN)6 solution is used as the redox‐active electrolyte, the overall cathode capacity increases from 47.8 to 107.11 mA h g−1.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
3.
Emergence of rechargeable seawater batteries Senthilkumar, S. T; Go, Wooseok; Han, Jinhyup ...
Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability,
2019, Volume:
7, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
New concepts or chemistry is an urgent requirement for rechargeable batteries to achieve a low-cost, user-friendly nature with adequate energy densities and high levels of safety. Rechargeable ...seawater batteries (SWBs) are a new electrochemical system for the storage of electrical energy that utilizes seawater, as an infinite resource, as a source of the Na
+
ion cathode. Seawater is a naturally available abundant renewable resource that covers nearly 70% of the Earth's surface. This review provides an essential comprehensive introduction to new rechargeable SWBs. First, we present details of seawater and then the history of primary SWBs and rechargeable SWBs, and the structure and chemistry of rechargeable SWBs. Next, we describe the research progress that has so far been made on various components of SWBs, such as cathode current collectors, electrocatalysts, solid electrolyte, anodes, and non-aqueous electrolyte, including the performance metrics reported in the literature. Moreover, some concepts of modified rechargeable SWB design for desalination and CO
2
reduction application are discussed. Lastly, we provide our future outlook on the development of rechargeable SWBs and emphasize the main practical issues with the hope of stimulating further research progress.
New concepts or chemistry is an urgent requirement for rechargeable batteries to achieve a low-cost, user-friendly nature with adequate energy densities and high levels of safety.
The economic viability and systemic sustainability of a green hydrogen economy are primarily dependent on its storage. However, none of the current hydrogen storage methods meet all the targets set ...by the US Department of Energy (DoE) for mobile hydrogen storage. One of the most promising routes is through the chemical reaction of alkali metals with water; however, this method has not received much attention owing to its irreversible nature. Herein, we present a reconditioned seawater battery-assisted hydrogen storage system that can provide a solution to the irreversible nature of alkali-metal-based hydrogen storage. We show that this system can also be applied to relatively lighter alkali metals such as lithium as well as sodium, which increases the possibility of fulfilling the DoE target. Furthermore, we found that small (1.75 cm
) and scaled-up (70 cm
) systems showed high Faradaic efficiencies of over 94%, even in the presence of oxygen, which enhances their viability.
Conversion of sunlight to chemical energy based on photoelectrochemical (PEC) processes has been considered as a promising strategy for solar energy harvesting. Here, we propose a novel platform that ...converts solar energy into sodium (Na) as a solid-state solar fuel via the PEC oxidation of natural seawater, for which a Na ion-selective ceramic membrane is employed together with photoelectrode (PE)-photovoltaic (PV) tandem cell. Using an elaborately modified bismuth vanadate-based PE in tandem with crystalline silicon PV, we demonstrate unassisted solar-to-Na conversion (equivalent to solar charge of seawater battery) with an unprecedentedly high efficiency of 8% (expected operating point under 1 sun) and measured operation efficiency of 5.7% (0.2 sun) and long-term stability, suggesting a new benchmark for low-cost, efficient, and scalable solid solar fuel production. The sodium turns easily into electricity on demand making the device a nature-friendly, monolithic solar rechargeable seawater battery.
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•Solar rechargeable battery using natural seawater as a medium was realized•Solar charge was achieved by metal oxide-based photoelectrodes, especially BiVO4•BiVO4-c-Si tandem cell achieved unbiased charge with a high efficiency up to 8%
Electrochemical Energy Conversion; Energy Storage; Materials Characterization
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Eco-friendly harnessing of both ocean chemical energy and solar energy would represent a sustainable solution for future energy conversion/storage systems, but it has been challenging to enhance the ...energy efficiency of such systems for practical applications. Here, we demonstrate an efficient photoelectrochemical-assisted rechargeable seawater battery. By integrating TiO2 nanostructure-based photoelectrodes with the seawater battery, we achieved significant enhancement of the voltage efficiency during the charging/discharging processes; effective photocharging with the TiO2 photoanode reduced the charging voltage to ∼2.65 V, while the heated carbon felt (HCF) cathode in the seawater battery exhibited charging/discharging voltages of ∼3.8 V and ∼2.9 V, respectively. Such a charging voltage reduction led to a voltage efficiency of ∼109%. Moreover, interestingly, we found that TiO2 nanostructures showed excellent photoelectrochemical performances in seawater in association with the efficient photocharging. As a result, the utilization of TiO2 nanostructures as photocharging/discharging electrodes provides a feasible strategy to optimize the cell configuration for highly efficient solar seawater batteries.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
Garnet-structured Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 (LLZTO) is one of the most promising electrolyte materials for solid-state Li batteries (SS-LiB). The design and fabrication of a good ...cathode/electrolyte interface is an important criterion for the SS-LiB. In this work, we performed a systematic study on the impact of cathode crystal structure and chemical compositions on their chemical stabilities against the LLZTO at elevated temperatures, which are required for their adhesion during cell fabrication processes. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement analyses revealed the chemical stabilities of various cathode materials in contact with the LLZTO. While layered LiCoO2 cathode showed good stability in contact with LLZTO to 900 oC, LiNiO2 or Ni-rich LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2 (NMC) cathodes suffered from the formation of La4NiLiO8 due to La-diffusion from LLZTO. Mn-rich LiMn2O4 spinel and layered LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathodes suffered from the formation of La2Zr2O7 due to Li-diffusion and production of Li2MnO3. As a result, LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2, having an ideal balance of Ni/Mn/Co composition, or Li2MnO3 containing cathodes such as Li1.2Ni0.15Mn0.55Co0.1O2 were found to having excellent phase stability as the cathodes for LLZTO-based SS-LiBs.
•Room temperature aerosol deposition of dense, micron LLZO solid electrolyte film.•Optimal balance in deposition dynamics with several micron-sized spraying particles.•Attained decent Li diffusion ...performance without the need for post heat-treatment.
Dense and uniform Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 (Al-doped LLZO) solid-electrolyte film of ∼24 µm thickness is successfully fabricated by room temperature aerosol deposition (AD) method. The process optimization study revealed that careful control of particle size and morphology is one of critical determinants in the development of a compact AD membrane. Notably, our method facilitated an impressive ionic conductivity of approximately 10−5 S cm−1, bypassing the necessity for post-annealing processes, a milestone in itself. However, it is hypothesized that the attained conductivity is somewhat restrained by factors such as smaller grain size and potential surface degradation due to moisture exposure during fabrication, indicating avenues for further research. Looking forward, detailed investigations into the film's microstructure and its impact on transport properties will be a focal point, alongside potential enhancements through post-annealing and particle coating strategies. This research hints at a promising trajectory for the development of high-efficiency solid-state battery technology.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In a conventional Na-ion battery system using liquid electrolyte, there are critical safety issues due to the instability of the liquid electrolyte. Na
3
Zr
2
Si
2
PO
12
(NASICON) solid electrolyte ...is a material that is sufficient to replace a liquid electrolyte as it has high ionic conductivity and thermal and electrochemical stability. However, as there is a large interfacial resistance in the NASICON solid electrolyte powder, even when used in combination with a polymer electrolyte, the advantageous effects of ceramics are not easily exhibited. In this study, we propose a top-down method of combining a polymer with a ceramic in which an ion transport channel is previously formed. In this method, a NASICON solid electrolyte is partially sintered to form ion transport channels. Then the NASICON solid electrolyte pores are filled with an epoxy polymer to increase the strength of the epoxy-NASICON composite electrolyte. This method demonstrates the possibility of our composite electrolyte being used as a thin and strong film. As a result of our methods, the ionic conductivity and thermal and electrochemical stability of NASICON were maintained, while the physical strength was enhanced by approximately 2 times. In addition, a capacity of 120 mA h g
−1
and stability of 20 cycles were confirmed in a half cell with a Na
3
V
2
(PO
4
)
3
cathode and Na metal. This method proposes a new direction for research regarding composite electrolytes created using an oxide-based solid electrolyte.
A NASICON ceramic electrolyte are pre-formed with sintering ion conduction channel and epoxy-resin polymer infiltrate inside of NASICON pores. This method maintains ionic conductivity of ceramic and can fabricate thin sheet-type solid electrolyte.
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