Researchers Tout Paper Electrode for Sodium-Ion Batteries

A new flexible composite paper electrode for sodium-ion batteries promises lower cost and longer life, according to developers at Kansas State University.

The material consists of multiple sheets of graphene one atom-thick carbon interleaved with acid-treated layered and interleafed molybdenum disulphide.

The resulting porous construction functions as an anode at room temperature. Most commercial sodium-ion batteries operate at temperatures around 300 C.

The team is led by Gurpreet Singh, an assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering. The group has been developing efficient and inexpensive ways to create nanomaterials

The KSU material offers a different way of handling sodium ions that eliminates a key shortcoming of today's architectures: They can swell as much as 500% as they undergo an alloying reaction with sodium ions. Repeated swelling and contraction as the battery charges and discharges can cause mechanical damage and eventual loss of electrical connection.

The two-dimensional graphene material, which acts as a flexible support and current collector, eliminates the need for polymeric binders and copper current collector foil typical in battery electrodes, according to the researchers. They say the material offers a stable charge capacity of 230 mAhg^-1.

The KSU researchers report their results in ACS-NANO here.