Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being used to develop better performing sodium-ion batteries as researchers from UK universities look for the next generation of high-performance rechargeable batteries.
A team from the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemistry, with researchers from Nottingham University, has developed a technique that uses MRI scanning to monitor how the sodium ions performs in operando.
The technique detects the movement and deposition of sodium metal ions within a sodium battery, which is a promising candidate to replace lithium ion batteries.
This technique could identify ways to manufacture longer life and higher performing batteries by detecting failure mechanisms as they happen.
The research team also included scientists from the Energy materials group in the University of Birmingham’s School of Metallurgy and Materials, and from Imperial College London.
Their results are published in Nature Communications.
The technique enables scientists to understand how the sodium behaves as it interacts with different anode and cathode materials, allowing them to monitor dendritic growth.
Dr Melanie Britton from the University of Birmingham (pictured) said: “Taking the battery apart introduces internal changes that make it hard to see what the original flaw was or where it occurred. But using the MRI technique we’ve developed, we can actually see what’s going on inside the battery while it is operational, giving us unprecedented insights into how the sodium behaves.”
UK firm Faradion, which has received orders for its sodium-ion batteries, forecasts its technology will reach 190Wh/kg (1,500W/kg) by the close of the year and 3,000 cycles by 2021. The specific energy of its technology is 160Wh/kg (1,000W/kg) in Q2.
