Overview
- University of Surrey researchers report that a nanostructured sodium vanadate hydrate (NVOH) cathode performs better when its intrinsic water is retained rather than heat-treated away.
- The water-retained NVOH delivered nearly twice the charge capacity of typical sodium-ion cathodes, charged faster, and remained stable for more than 400 cycles in laboratory tests.
- In salt water, the material continued to operate while removing sodium ions as a paired graphite electrode extracted chloride, demonstrating electrochemical desalination.
- The findings, published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, challenge long-standing assumptions about drying sodium vanadate materials used in battery cathodes.
- Researchers highlight potential for lower-cost, more sustainable sodium-ion systems and simplified manufacturing, while emphasizing the need for full-cell validation, scale-up, and long-term testing.