• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.320-329
• /
• 2018

Natural graphite is obtained from an abandoned open-cast mine and purified by a simple, eco-friendly and affordable beneficiation process including ball milling and flotation process. Both raw graphite (55 wt %) and its concentrate (85 wt %) were electrochemically tested in order to evaluate these materials as anode materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. It was found that both raw and purified graphites exhibit good electrochemical activities with respect to lithium and sodium ions through completely different reaction mechanisms. The encouraging results demonstrated in this work suggest that both raw and graphite concentrates after flotation could be used respectively for stationary and embedded applications. This strategy would help in developing local electrical storage systems with a significantly low environmental footprint.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.32 no.12
• /
• pp.545-552
• /
• 2022

Tin-antimony sulfide nanocomposites were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis and a N₂ reduction process for use as a negative electrode in a sodium ion battery. The electrochemical energy storage performance of the battery was analyzed according to the tin-antimony composition. The optimized sulfides exhibited superior charge/discharge capacity (770 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 100 mA g^-1) and stable lifespan characteristics (71.2 % after 200 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g^-1). It exhibited a reversible characteristic, continuously participating in the charge-discharge process. The improved electrochemical energy storage performance and cycle stability was attributed to the small particle size, by controlling the composition of the tin-antimony sulfide. By optimizing the tin-antimony ratio during the synthesis process, it did not deviate from the solubility limit. Graphene oxide also acts to suppress volume expansion during reversible electrochemical reaction. Based on these results, tin-antimony sulfide is considered a promising anode material for a sodium ion battery used as a medium-to-large energy storage source.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2023

Interest in the future of the battery market is growing as Tesla announces plans to increase production of electric vehicles and to produce batteries. Tesla announced an action plan to reduce battery prices by 56% through 'Battery Day', which included expansion of factories to internalize batteries and improvement of materials and production technology. In the trend of automobile electrification, the expansion of the battery market, which accounts for 40% of the cost of electric vehicles, is inevitable, and the size of the electric vehicle battery market in 2026 is expected to increase more than five times compared to 2016. With the development of materials and process technology, the energy density of electric vehicle batteries is increasing while the price is decreasing. Soon, electric vehicles and internal combustion locomotives are expected to compete on the same line. Recently, the mileage of electric vehicles is approaching that of an internal combustion locomotive due to the installation of high-capacity batteries. In the EV battery market, Korean, Chinese and Japanese companies are fiercely competing. Based on market share in the first half of 2020, LG Chem, CATL, and Panasonic are leading the EV battery supply, and the top 10 companies included 3 Korean companies, 5 Chinese companies, and 2 Japanese companies. All-solid, lithium-sulfur, sodium-ion, and lithium air batteries are being discussed as the next-generation batteries after lithium-ion, among which all-solid-state batteries are the most active. All-solid-state batteries can dramatically improve stability and charging speed by using a solid electrolyte, and are excellent in terms of technology readiness level (TRL) among various technology alternatives. In order to increase the competitiveness of the battery industry in the future, efforts to increase the productivity and economy of electric vehicle batteries are also required along with the development of next-generation battery technology.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.178-184
• /
• 2023

Transition metal chalcogenides have garnered significant attention as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, their practical application is impeded by their limited lifespan resulting from substantial volume expansion during cycling and their low electrical conductivity. To tackle these issues, this study devised a solution by synthesizing a nanostructured anode material composed of porous CNT (carbon nanotube) spheres and (Ni,Co)Se₂ nanocrystals. By employing spray pyrolysis and subsequent heat treatments, a porous-structured (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT composite microsphere was successfully synthesized, and its electrochemical properties as an anode for sodium-ion batteries were evaluated. The synthesized (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT microsphere possesses a porous structure due to the nanovoids that formed as a result of the decomposition of the polystyrene (PS) nanobeads during spray pyrolysis. This porous structure can effectively accommodate the volume expansion that occurs during repeated cycling, while the CNT scaffold enhances electronic conductivity. Consequently, the (Ni,Co)Se₂-CNT anode exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 698 mA h g^-1 and maintained a high discharge capacity of 400 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g^-1.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.128-136
• /
• 2023

Lithium accounts for only 0.0017% of the earth crust, and it is produced in geographically limited regions such as South America, the United States, and China. Since the first half of 2017, the price of lithium has been continuously increasing, and with the rapid adoption of electric vehicles, lithium resources are expected to be depleted in the near future. In addition, economic blocs worldwide face intensifying scenarios such as competition for technological supremacy and protectionism of domestic industries. Consequently, Korea is deepening its dependence on China for core materials and is vulnerable to the influence of the United States Inflation Reduction Act. We analyze post-lithium secondary battery technologies that rely on more earth-abundant elements to replace lithium, whose production is limited to specific regions. Specifically, we focus on the technological status and issues of sodium-ion, zinc-air, and redox-flow batteries. In addition, research trends in post-lithium secondary batteries are examined. Post-lithium secondary batteries seem promising for large-capacity energy storage systems while reducing the costs of raw materials compared with existing lithium-based technologies.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.177-180
• /
• 2012

In this study, we prepared $LiFePO_4$- poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) composite by the hydrothermal method and ball-milling process. Different wt% PSS were added to $LiFePO_4$. The cathode electrodes were made from mixtures of $LiFePO_4$-PSS: SP-270: PVDF in a weighting ratio of 70%: 25%: 5%. $LiFePO_4$-PSS powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of $LiFePO_4$-PSS/Li batteries were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, charge/discharge tests, and AC impedance spectroscopy. A Li/$LiFePO_4$-PSS battery with 4.75 wt% PSS shows the best electrochemical properties, with a discharge capacity of 128 mAh/g.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.182-188
• /
• 2012

In this study, fine cathode materials $Ni_3S_2$ and $NiS_2$ were synthesized using the simple, convenient process of mechanical alloying (MA). In order to improve the cell properties, wet milling processes were conducted using low-energy ball milling to decrease the mean particle size of both materials. The cells of Na/$Ni_3S_2$ and Na/$NiS_2$ show a high initial discharge capacity of 425 mAh/g and 577 mAh/g respectively using wet milled powder particles, which is much larger than commercial ones, providing some potential as new cathode materials for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.70-74
• /
• 2017

Two milling methods, dry vibration milling and wet ball milling, were used to prepare $Na_{2/3}(Ni_{1/3}Mn_{2/3})O_2$ powders as a cathode material for sodium ion batteries. The morphology and electrochemical property of the two powders with different milling processes were compared to each other. The particle size is less than $1{\mu}m$ in the dry vibration milled powder, while lots of larger particles than $1{\mu}m$ were found in the wet ball milled one. The single phase of $Na_{2/3}(Ni_{1/3}Mn_{2/3})O_2$ was obtained in the temperature range of $875{\sim}900^{\circ}C$. The discharge capacity and discharge voltage of the powder prepared by the dry process were higher than those of one prepared by the wet process.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.43 no.9 s.292
• /
• pp.588-593
• /
• 2006

Spinel phase $LiMn_2O_4$ is of great interest as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In this study, SHS (Self propagating High-temperature Synthesis) method to synthesize spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ directly from lithium nitrate, manganese oxide, manganese and sodium chloride were investigated. The influence of Li/Mn ratio, the heat-treated condition of product have been explored. The resultant $LiMn_2O_4$ synthesized under the optimum synthesis conditions shows perfect spinel structure, uniform particle size and excellent electrochemical performances.

• Nano
• /
• v.13 no.12
• /
• pp.1850141.1-1850141.11
• /
• 2018

Sodium ion batteries based on the more sodium source reserve than that of lithium have been designed as promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries. However, several problems including unsatisfied specific capacity and serious cyclic stability must be solved before the reality. One of the effective approaches to solve the abovementioned problems is to search for suitable anode materials. In this work, we designed and prepared $FeSe_2$ nanoflakes via a simple hydrothermal method which can be adjusted in composition by Fe precursor. As a potential anode for sodium storage, the optimized $FeSe_2$ electrode was further evaluated in different electrolytes of $NaClO_4$ in propylene carbonate/fluoroethylene carbonate and $NaCF_3SO_3$ in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether. The capacity was about $470mAh\;g^{-1}$ and $535mAh\;g^{-1}$ at $0.5A\;g^{-1}$, respectively, in the voltage between 0.5 V and 2.9 V in the cycle of stabilization phase. Superior performance both in capacity and in stability was obtained in ether-based electrolyte, which affords the property without plugging the intermediates of transition metal dichalcogenides during charge/discharge processes.