In the kitchen, salt can be replaced with various spices. The same principle applies to materials used for storing electric energy.
Take graphene made from tamarind shells, for example. Currently electric vehicle batteries are mainly based on lithium-ion technology.
Sodium is cheaper, better for the environment and more readily available, but its ions are too large to be stored in the graphite structure used as an anode in lithium-ion batteries.
All that could soon change, however, thanks to a research team from Chalmers University of Technology.
They have developed a molecule spacer to give sodium ions increased space and freedom of movement. The innovation could boost capacity tenfold.
Making sodium-ion batteries a match for their lithium counterparts.
A meaningful exchange.
