The is a comprehensive review on the needs and potential storage technologies for electrical grid that is expected to integrate significant levels of renewables. This review offers details of the technologies, in terms of needs, status, challenges and future R&d directions.

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Electrochemical Energy Storage for Green Grid

Advanced materials for sodium-beta alumina batteries: Status, challenges and perspectives

Electrolyte and Interface Engineering for Solid-State Sodium Batteries

The progress in the research work and real applications of sodium-sulfur (NAS) battery in large scale energy storage is introduced. The key materials and interfaces of the battery, particularly the role of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SICCAS), are systematically reviewed. As the most important and difficult part, the high-quality beta- alumina ceramic electrolyte tubes are prepared by a low-cost solid state reaction process; their sealing performance and interfacial behavior with molten sodium and sulfur electrodes could be substantially improved by glass ceramic type sealants and surface modification, respectively. Combination of carbon and additives like SiO2 with different wetting behaviors for sulfur and the discharge product sulfides is shown to be significant in improving the electrochemical performances of NAS battery. Conductive ceramic coatings are developed as anti-corrosion media of the current collector of sulfur electrode; this is identified as an effective route to protect the metal parts.

Main Challenges for High Performance NAS Battery: Materials and Interfaces

The development of safe, reliable, yet economical energy storage has been reemphasized with recent incidents involving the explosion and subsequent recall of lithium-ion batteries. The organic liquid electrolyte used in the conventional lithium-ion battery can potentially act as a fuel for combustion in a thermal-runaway reaction, and hence an alternative with a significantly reduced flammability must be sought. All-solid-state batteries have the potential to meet safety and reliability requirements with the possibility of increasing the volumetric energy density of the system, making these a promising candidate for the development of the next generation of energy storage. Moreover, the sodium-ion battery exhibits a better cost-efficiency without significantly compromising the energy density, making the combination of the sodium chemistry with the solid electrolyte an attractive choice for safe and economical energy storage. Here, a general background on the recent development of ceramic and glass-ceramic sodium-ion-conducting electrolytes is provided with regard to oxide-, sulfide-, and hydride-based electrolytes. The ionic conductivity, chemical stability, and mechanical properties of the sodium-based solid electrolyte are discussed, which is followed by a perspective on future developments in the field.

RO Heckroodt

Papers

The synthesis of beta alumina from aluminium hydroxide and oxyhydroxide precursors