Gradient Polymer/Ceramic Single-Ion Conducting Membrane for High-Voltage Sodium-Ion Batteries

Electrification has become a global megatrend as the world moves toward an era of clean and sustainable energy. A core enabler of this transition is the development of highly efficient, safe, and low-cost rechargeable batteries. However, with the relatively high cost of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and non-uniform geographical distribution of their raw materials, it is of imminent interest to look for alternative battery chemistries. Sodium-ion battery (SIB) is a drop-in option for this purpose owing to the similar chemistry and substantially lower cost. Storagenergy Technologies, Inc. will continue the R&D efforts to develop the innovative gradient polymer/ceramic single-ion conducting membrane (GSICM) for high voltage sodium-ion batteries. The continuation of the project will enable scalable production of cation-selective membrane with a transference number close to unity, while preserving a comparable ionic conductivity to liquid electrolyte. The proposed membrane will enable high energy, long-cycle life and high-power SIB prototypes and therefore accelerate the advent of an electrified society. The reduction of greenhouse emissions through the adoption of alternative energy sources require large-scale distributed energy storage to counter their intermittent nature. Our membrane design will facilitate the deployment of low-cost sodium-ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage systems. The successful development of this membrane technology will enable a new family of American batteries for both commercial and defense sectors. This technology will revolutionize other energy related fields, e.g., electric transport by enabling widespread adoption of renewable energy sources through low cost and high reliability. The insights gained in this project will also benefit the development of emerging battery chemistries using unconventional electrolytes, including potassium, zinc and aluminum batteries.