Sodium‐ion batteries (SIB) are considered as a promising alternative to overcome existing sustainability challenges related to Lithium‐ion batteries (LIB), such as the use of critical and expensive ...materials with high environmental impacts. In contrast to established LIBs, SIBs are an emerging technology in an early stage of development where a challenge is to identify the most promising and sustainable cathode active materials (CAM) for further research and potential commercialization. Thus, a comprehensive and flexible CAM screening method is developed, providing a fast and comprehensive overview of potential sustainability hotspots for supporting cathode material selection. 42 different SIB cathodes are screened and benchmarked against eight state‐of‐the‐art LIB‐cathodes. Potential impacts are quantified for the following categories: i) Cost as ten‐year average; ii) Criticality, based on existing raw material criticality indicators, and iii) the life cycle carbon footprint. The results reveal that energy density is one of the most important factors in all three categories, determining the overall material demand. Most SIB CAM shows a very promising performance, obtaining better results than the LIB benchmark. Especially the Prussian Blue derivatives and the manganese‐based layered oxides seem to be interesting candidates under the given prospective screening framework.
Sodium‐ion batteries (SIB) are a promising alternative regarding sustainability challenges related to Lithium‐ion batteries (LIB), such as carbon footprint, criticality, and cost. A screening method for supporting sustainable cathode material (CAM) selection is presented. SIB CAM show a very promising performance, obtaining better results than the LIB benchmark. Especially Prussian Blue derivatives and manganese‐based layered oxide CAM are good alternatives.
Protein kinase D (PKD) enzymes play important roles in regulating myocardial contraction, hypertrophy, and remodeling. One of the proteins phosphorylated by PKD is titin, which is involved in ...myofilament function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of PKD in cardiomyocyte function under conditions of oxidative stress. To do this, we used mice with a cardiomyocyte-specific knock-out of Prkd1, which encodes PKD1 (Prkd1
;
; PKD1 cKO), as well as wild type littermate controls (Prkd1
; WT). We isolated permeabilized cardiomyocytes from PKD1 cKO mice and found that they exhibited increased passive stiffness (F
), which was associated with increased oxidation of titin, but showed no change in titin ubiquitination. Additionally, the PKD1 cKO mice showed increased myofilament calcium (Ca
) sensitivity (pCa
) and reduced maximum Ca
-activated tension. These changes were accompanied by increased oxidation and reduced phosphorylation of the small myofilament protein cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBPC), as well as altered phosphorylation levels at different phosphosites in troponin I (TnI). The increased F
and pCa
, and the reduced maximum Ca
-activated tension were reversed when we treated the isolated permeabilized cardiomyocytes with reduced glutathione (GSH). This indicated that myofilament protein oxidation contributes to cardiomyocyte dysfunction. Furthermore, the PKD1 cKO mice exhibited increased oxidative stress and increased expression of pro-inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Both oxidative stress and inflammation contributed to an increase in microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II levels and heat shock response by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the PKD1 cKO mouse myocytes. These findings revealed a previously unknown role for PKD1 in regulating diastolic passive properties, myofilament Ca
sensitivity, and maximum Ca
-activated tension under conditions of oxidative stress. Finally, we emphasized the importance of PKD1 in maintaining the balance of oxidative stress and inflammation in the context of autophagy, as well as cardiomyocyte function.
NaMnPO4 and NaFePO4, polyanion cathode materials, exist in two different phases maricite/natrophilite and maricite/olivine, respectively. Both natrophilite NaMnPO4 and olivine NaFePO4 are ...electrochemically active and possess a one-dimensional tunnel for sodium-ion migration; however, these two phases are thermodynamically unstable. Therefore, they can be synthesized through an electrochemical route. On the contrary, maricite (m)-NaMnPO4 and maricite (m)-NaFePO4 are thermodynamically stable forms but have a huge activation energy of their diffusion pathways for sodium extraction and insertion in the crystal structure, which hinders electrochemical reactions. Therefore, the electrochemical behaviour of commercial m-NaMnPO4 and m-NaFePO4 has been studied to find a way for enabling them electrochemically. Ball milling and thermal/mechanical carbon coating are employed to reduce the particle size to enhance the electrochemical performance and shorten the diffusion pathway. Moreover, ball milling leads to defects and partial phase transformation. The electrochemical performance of milled-coated NaMnPO4 and NaFePO4 has been thoroughly investigated and compared. The phase transition of NaFePO4 is revealed by a differential scanning calorimeter. As a result, the achievable capacities of both cathode materials are significantly enhanced up to ∼50 mAh.g−1 via the particle size reduction as well as by carbon coating. However, the side reactions and agglomeration problems in such materials need to be minimized and must be considered to enable them for applications.
Nanoparticles have many advantages as active materials, such as a short diffusion length, low charge transfer resistance, or a reduced probability of cracking. However, their low packing density ...makes them unsuitable for commercial battery applications. Hierarchically structured microparticles are synthesized from nanoscale primary particles by targeted aggregation. Due to their open accessible porosity, they retain the advantages of nanomaterials but can be packed much more densely. However, the intrinsic porosity of the secondary particles leads to limitations in processing properties and increases the overall porosity of the electrode, which must be balanced against the improved rate stability and increased lifetime. This is demonstrated for an established cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LiNi
Co
Mn
O
, NCM111). For active materials with low electrical or ionic conductivity, especially post-lithium systems, hierarchically structured particles are often the only way to produce competitive electrodes.
In this manuscript, we present rheology, ionic conductivity, density, chromatography, and life cycle analysis data on the PC+X electrolyte system with and without LiClO4. In particular, the data are ...presented in contact with Na surfaces. In this case, photographic images of electrolyte-sodium mixtures are also shown. The data was analyzed using OriginPro software to visualize it in an appropriate manner. In our view, the data serve as comparative values, form a basis of a chromatography analysis and are also valuable for modeling. The analysis of the data is presented in the manuscript “Comprehensive characterization of propylene carbonate based liquid electrolyte mixtures for sodium-ion cells” 1.
Na3V2(PO4)3/C cathode and commercial hard carbon anode materials are coated with a roll-to-roll coater on an aluminum current collector. Sodium-ion pouch and coin cells are assembled. The degradation ...mechanism, cycle stability, morphology of cycle-aged material, and aging influence on the heat generation during cycling are thoroughly investigated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy permits resistance assignment to the specific electrodes by using the distribution of relaxation times. Comparison of pristine and cycle-aged cells allows separating the degradation contributions of the particular electrodes. The generated heat during charging and discharging is determined by means of an advanced highly sensitive MS80 3D Tian-Calvet calorimeter under isothermal conditions at 25 °C and the heat generation mechanisms are elucidated. It is observed that less heat is generated during charging than discharging process. Furthermore, the cell balancing reveals a pronounced effect (approximately 50% in charging and 20% in discharging) on the amount of generated heat, which is valuable feedback for the material developers and cell designers. These analyses represent a fingerprint for the underlying electrochemical processes at the electrodes and are very essential for state of health, aging prediction as well as the subsequent tackling of safety-related issues in sodium-ion batteries.
•Na3V2(PO4)3/C vs HC in coin and pouch cell formats are studied.•The heat generation is measured both on pristine and cycled-aged cells.•Identification and contribution of various resistances from cathode and anode.•Describe the relationship between generated heat and the degradation of materials.•The cell balancing shows a pronounced effect on the amount of generated heat.
Previous investigations on porous Li(Ni
x
Co
y
Mn
z
)O
2
(NCM) particles with shortened diffusion paths and an enlarged interface between active material and electrolyte show improved rate capability ...and cycle stability compared to compact particles. Due to the additional intragranular porosity of the active material, also the pore structure of the overall electrode, and as consequence, the ionic transport in the pore phase is altered. In addition, the particle morphology influences the ohmic contact resistance between the current collector and electrode film. These effects are investigated using impedance spectroscopy in symmetrical cells under blocking conditions. The ionic resistance and the tortuosity of the electrodes are determined and analyzed by a transmission line model. Tortuosity is higher for porous particles and increases more during calendering. This limits the options to densify these electrodes to the same level as with compact particles. In a further approach, the method is used to explain the drying related performance differences of these electrodes. At higher drying rates, the contact and the ionic resistance of electrodes with compact particles increases more strongly as for electrodes with porous particles. These investigations provide new insights into the ion transport behavior and enable a better understanding of the impact of the electrode processing condition.
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