Materials Science · Materials Chemistry
Researchers found that slight aluminum substitution improved the performance of sodium iron sulfide, an earth-abundant battery electrode material. Cells using a composition with 5% aluminum delivered about 500 mAh per gram initially and cycled reversibly for more than 70 cycles, while materials with up to 50% aluminum retained sufficient ion movement during charging.
A laser-treated, glassy layer at the electrolyte interface improved the stability of solid-state lithium-metal batteries. In tests, the cells cycled for more than 2,000 hours, while lithium-cobalt-oxide cells retained a capacity of 101.9 mAh per gram after 800 cycles at 4.5 volts.
Two different scandium treatments improved the cycling life of a layered sodium-battery cathode. After 100 cycles in sodium half-cells, capacity retention rose from 18.6% without the treatments to 67.8% with scandium inside the material and 75.4% with a scandium oxide coating.
