Manganese to improve battery performance

• A group of Danish researchers has discovered that introduction of manganese into a Na-ion battery’s cathode can improve its capacity and power.

Sodium-ion batts attract attention of researchers globally, since they can prospectively become as efficient as lithium-ion devices, eliminating fire risk and the need to use rare and expensive metals. 

Sodium-based batteries have already been commercially used. However, they are still less stable and energy dense compared to Li-ion and other rivals. Recently, the research group from Danish USD has found out how to improve SIB’s storage capacity.

The device under research contains a NaFePO4-based cathode. The researchers have utilized experience obtained from working with LiFePO4-based devices, where Fe was partially substituted with Mn, which made Li-based batts more stable and improved their performance. The explorers have decided to check if similar outcome can be achieved in Na-based batteries. They have been surprised to see that the result has proven quite similar, as sodium-ions interact with electrodes differently than lithium-ions.

According to the research findings, if 10-20 percent of Fe is replaced by Mn, it stabilizes the solution, and can increase the device’s capacity by over 15 percent.

Currently, it is quite a challenge to decrease the size of Na-ion batts sufficiently to make them competitive with commercially used Li-ion devices. Consequently, they are not likely to be used to power smartphones or e-devices in the nearest future. However, the tech can already find application in stationary energy storage systems.