NOVEL ELECTRODES FOR NA-ION BATTERIES BASED ON THE NA-CL-NI-CU-O-C SYSTEM

THE ENERGY STORAGE USING BATTERIES HAS BECOME A PRIORITY ISSUE, AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESEARCH LINES IS THE SEARCH FOR NEW MATERIALS FOR ELECTRODES IN NA-ION BATTERIES. THE PROPOSAL IS BASED ON AN ANOMALOUS RESULT OBTAINED RECENTLY DURING THE EVALUATION OF THIN LAYERS OF NIO ON COPPER AS A POSSIBLE ELECTRODE FOR NA-ION BATTERIES. THE USUAL MAXIMUM DISCHARGE CAPACITY DURING THE FIRST CHARGE-DISCHARGE CYCLES IS 400 MAHG-1, A VALUE THAT GRADUALLY DECREASES WITH THE NUMBER OF CYCLES. HOWEVER, IN THIS ANOMALOUS CASE, THE CYCLING BEHAVIOR WAS RADICALLY DIFFERENT, SINCE THERE IS A CONTINUOUS INCREASE IN THE CHARGE AND DISCHARGE CAPACITIES, REACHING VALUES AS HIGH AS 9300 MAHG-1 AT THE END OF THE CYCLING. THIS BEHAVIOR IS RELATED TO THE INTERACTION BETWEEN MATERIALS, AND THE FORMATION OF A NEW MATERIAL. THE FINAL GOAL OF THE PROPOSAL IS TO SYNTHESIZE THIS NEW MATERIAL THROUGH SEVERAL SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: MODELING AND THERMODYNAMIC CALCULATION OF THE REACTIONS INVLOVED, PROCESSING OF THE NEW MATERIAL FROM COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS (NIO, CU, NA, SODIUM SALTS, ETC.) BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE THERMODYNAMIC STUDY, AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE SYNTHESIS CONDITIONS CONSIDERING THE REACTION ATMOSPHERE, VOLTAGE AND CURRENT, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NEW MATERIAL BOTH FROM THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURAL POINT OF VIEW, AND ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AS AN ELECTRODE FOR NA-ION BATTERIES. THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE FEASIBLE POSSIBILITY OF SYNTHESIZING THIS NEW MATERIAL WITH EXCELLENT PROPERTIES AS AN ELECTRODE FOR NA-ION BATTERIES, REACHING CAPACITY VALUES OF AT LEAST 10 TIMES THE CURRENT VALUES. IN ADDITION TO THIS HIGH SCIENTIFIC IMPACT, THIS MULTIDISCIPLINARY WORK WOULD BRING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW LI-FREE BATTERIES AND REDUCTION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION.