Abstract
The Na–O2 battery offers an interesting alternative to the Li–O2 battery, which is still the source of a number of unsolved scientific questions. In spite of both being alkali metal–O2 batteries, they display significant differences. For instance, Li–O2 batteries form Li2O2 as the discharge product at the cathode, whereas Na–O2 batteries usually form NaO2. A very important question that affects the performance of the Na–O2 cell concerns the key parameters governing the growth mechanism of the large NaO2 cubes formed upon reduction, which are a requirement of viable capacities and high performance. By comparing glyme-ethers of various chain lengths, we show that the choice of solvent has a tremendous effect on the battery performance. In contrast to the Li–O2 system, high solubilities of the NaO2 discharge product do not necessarily lead to increased capacities. Herein we report the profound effect of the Na+ ion solvent shell structure on the NaO2 growth mechanism. Strong solvent–solute interactions in lo...
Highlights
Increasing energy storage demands, driven by the needs of electric vehicles and the field of renewable energy sources, motivate the search for lower-cost, higher-capacity, and sustainable rechargeable batteries.[1]
In this work we systematically analyzed the influence of various glyme-ether solvents on the discharge capacity of Na−O2 batteries
The reported large differences within these ethers clearly demonstrate the significance of choice of glymeether solvent for Na−O2 batteries
Summary
Increasing energy storage demands, driven by the needs of electric vehicles and the field of renewable energy sources, motivate the search for lower-cost, higher-capacity, and sustainable rechargeable batteries.[1]. The capacity is lower than the well-known Li−O2 battery, the Na−O2 battery has recently attracted considerable attention because of its apparent ease of cycling, high-energy efficiency, and chemical reversibility. This is in part due to the lack of side reactions when compared to Li−O2 batteries.[5,6] It benefits from the lower cost and abundance of sodium compared to lithium.[7]. While Na−O2 batteries certainly show promise, a recent review of the reported discharge products and capacities of NaO2 cells clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding in the field.[6] For example, the capacities and products can vary drastically and are strongly dependent on the electrolyte system as well as the type of carbon and the mass loading used.
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