Current sodium-sulfur battery designs suffer from poor conductivity, low efficiency, and various safety issues. The root cause of these problems is the unstable electrode-electrolyte interfaces.
Safety: As the sodium sulfur batteries operate at very high temperatures, the safety risk makes them less suitable for BTM applications. Moreover, the sodium battery is highly dangerous if the liquid sodium comes into contact with water in the atmosphere. 6. Applications of Sodium Sulfur Batteries
A sodium–sulfur (NaS) battery is a type of molten-salt battery that uses liquid sodium and liquid sulfur electrodes. This type of battery has a similar energy density to lithium-ion batteries, and is fabricated from inexpensive and low-toxicity materials.
What are the advantages of sodium sulfur batteries?
Energy density: The high energy density (110 Wh/kg) and power density (150 W/kg) of sodium sulfur batteries make them ideal for use in various applications. Low-cost materials: As sodium salt is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, sodium sulfur batteries cost less than other batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries.
What are the disadvantages of sodium sulfur batteries?
The following are the main disadvantages of sodium sulfur batteries: Operational cost: The increased operational cost of sodium sulfur batteries is due to the high temperature (350°C) required to liquefy sodium. Production capacity: Unlike Li-ion batteries, sodium sulfur batteries are not yet established in the market.
How long does a sodium sulfur battery last?
Lifetime is claimed to be 15 year or 4500 cycles and the efficiency is around 85%. Sodium sulfur batteries have one of the fastest response times, with a startup speed of 1 ms. The sodium sulfur battery has a high energy density and long cycle life. There are programmes underway to develop lower temperature sodium sulfur batteries.
The sodium–sulfur battery uses sulfur combined with sodium to reversibly charge and discharge, using sodium ions layered in aluminum oxide within the battery's core. The battery shows potential to store lots of energy in small space.