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Project Code [GOIPG/2022/1011]
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Project title
Development of a High Performance and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Battery Anode from Bio-Derived Hard Carbon
Primary Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Co-Funding Organisation(s)
n/a
Lead Organisation
University of Limerick (UL)
Project Abstract
Due the climate change, the prevalence of renewable energy sources such as wind, and solar energy will surge in the near future. Due to their intermittent nature, low-cost energy storage technology needs to be developed to effectively utilize these energy resources. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the battery energy storage market however their continued success at current growth rates is unsustainable due to the limited global supply of lithium and the use of toxic materials in the cathode such as cobalt. The high-cost means that grid-scale energy storage based on this chemistry will never be economically viable. Thus, there is a requirement to move beyond LIBs to a more sustainable chemistry based on low-cost abundant elements like sodium. Hard carbon is believed to be the most promising anode material for Na-ion batteries (NIBs) owing to the expanded graphene interlayers, suitable working voltage, and low cost. Before this material can be commercially realised, a number of fundamental research challenges exist related to the understanding of the hard carbon structure and how it affects ion-transfer and Na-ion storage. The aim of this project is to develop a completely sustainable NIB hard carbon nanofiber anode, derived from lignin, a waste by-product produced in high volume by the paper industry. Control over the material structure will be attained by using electrospinning in combination with sacrificial polymers, that will allow for precise tuning of the fiber diameters, pore structure and defect concentration. These parameters will be varied over wide ranges and the impact of each on ion-transfer and the Na-ion storage mechanism will be fully understood. Ultimately the goal is to achieve a high-performance anode with a gravimetric capacity of >450 mAh/g, an initial Coulombic efficiency of >90%.
Grant Approved
�110,000.00
Research Theme
Climate Solutions, Transition Management and Opportunities
Initial Projected Completion Date
31/08/2026