Wei Weifeng AM, Central South University: Salt-assisted recovery of sodium metal anode for high-rate sodium batteries Background Rechargeable sodium metal batteries are considered to be one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage systems with high energy density and high cost performance. However, the inactive sodium (Na) formed during storage and assembly processes has seriously hindered its practical application. This chemical instability stems from the high activity of Na, which chemically reacts with oxygen and moisture during electrode processing or electrochemically reacts with the electrolyte during battery operation, easily leading to excessive accumulation of inactive Na species on the surface, resulting in battery performance degradation or even failure.
Key auxiliary materials in lithium batteries - conductive agents Conductive agent is an important auxiliary material for batteries, and conductive carbon black is the most widely used conductive agent. The main function of conductive agent is to improve the conductivity of batteries. Only a small amount of addition can greatly improve the performance of lithium batteries. Conductive agent products include conductive carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc., which are important auxiliary materials for batteries. 1 Why do we need to add conductive agent to lithium batteries? The normal charging and discharging process of lithium batteries requires the participation of lithium ions and electrons. This requires that the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries must be mixed conductors of ions and electrons, and the electrode reaction can only occur at the junction of the electrolyte, conductive agent, and active material. The positive electrode active materials are mostly transitio...