Collaborative Research: Understanding the Reversible Formation of Sodium Hydrosulfide in Hybrid Electrolytes for High-Energy Density Storage

高能密度和低成本钠硫（Na/S-NaHS）电池技术的发展可能会对国家的能源安全和关键材料供应链产生变革性影响。这将产生新的方法和化学知识，使这种电池系统能够在需要更耐用和更低成本的应用中使用，包括电动汽车和可再生能源发电的电网规模储能。该项目将加强学术界和工业界之间的伙伴关系，并促进实验室发明向市场的转移。研究生和本科生将通过该项目接受研究和行业实习培训，并将招募来自代表性不足群体的学生参与该项目。该项目的一个特殊方面是与阿贡国家实验室的先进光子源合作，进行原位表征研究和动手学生培训。通过表征多硫化钠的形态和电池的电极过程，本项目旨在为特定使能电解质体系中钠硫化学的多步相变反应途径提供基础见解。通过对电解质体系的x射线散射表征，本项目将有助于在分子尺度上理解电解质体系的溶剂化结构演变。通过对电化学反应过程中交换电流密度和成核生长速率的研究，可以更好地理解Na/S-NaHS电极的反应动力学。总之，这些研究将促进对溶液和固体沉淀区各种电解质体系中金属-多硫化物电化学反应的热力学和动力学的认识和理解。因此，在这里获得的见解将解决使用丰富材料开发高能量密度电池的关键需求，并为该领域的未来研究奠定基础。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The development of the high-energy density and low-cost sodium-sulfur (Na/S-NaHS) battery technology can potentially have a transformational impact on the nation’s energy security and critical materials supply chain. This will yield new methods and chemistry understanding to enable the use of this battery system in applications requiring more durability and lower-cost including electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage for renewable energy generation. This project will enhance partnerships between academia and industry and facilitate the transfer of laboratory inventions to the marketplace. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive research and industry internships training through this project, and students from underrepresented groups will be recruited to participate in this project. A special aspect of this project is the collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source for in situ characterization studies and hands-on student training.By characterizing sodium-polysulfide speciation and the electrode process of the battery, this project aims to provide fundamental insights into the multistep phase transformation reaction pathway of the sodium-sulfur chemistry in specific enabling electrolyte systems. By focusing on X-ray scattering characterization of the electrolyte system, this project will help understand the solvation structure evolution of the electrolyte systems at the molecular scale. By focusing on the exchange current density and nucleation and growth rate during electrochemical reactions, this project will enable a better understanding of the Na/S-NaHS electrode reaction kinetics. Together, these studies will advance the knowledge and understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of metal-polysulfide electrochemical reactions in various electrolyte systems in both solution and solid precipitation regions. The insight gained here will thus address critical needs in developing the high-energy density battery using abundant materials and lay the foundation for future research in this area.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.