Shuaiguo Zhang

Bio: Shuaiguo Zhang is an academic researcher from Taiyuan University of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Anode & Composite number. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 17 publications receiving 247 citations.

Prospects in anode materials for sodium ion batteries - A review

Abstract: With the rapid expansion in energy demands and depletion of fossil fuel reservoirs, the importance of clean energy production and storage has increased drastically. The renewable energy recourses are cost effective, sustainable and carbon dioxide emission free alternatives. Nevertheless, this energy is not always available and needs to be stored. Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are rapidly used in various applications such as powering electronics, electric vehicles and grid energy storage. However, the increasing concerns regarding load leveling of renewable energy and rise in cost of LIBs due to limited availability of lithium reserves arises doubts whether LIBs alone can meet the rising demands for mid-to-large-scale energy storage. Therefore, attention has been shifted towards development of sodium ion batteries (SIBs) which have wide reserves and low precursor cost and thus is considered as appropriate choice for solar and wind energy development. The prime problem encountered in development of large-scale SIBs is the low effectiveness of appropriate anode material because of large size and sluggish kinetics of Na ions. A comprehensive study regarding anode materials is reported focusing on storage mechanism and structural changes involved during storage of Na ions in various classes of anode materials including carbon-based materials, conversion, conversion/alloying and organic materials. A brief overview of various components of SIBs such as cathode, electrolyte and separator are also discussed.

Layered tin sulfide and selenide anode materials for Li- and Na-ion batteries

Abstract: Layered tin sulfides have attracted great interest as high-capacity anode materials in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and Na-ion batteries (NIBs). In this review, we focus on the recent research progress in the area of design and synthesis of tin sulfides and selenides (SnS, SnS2, SnSe, and SnSe2) based anode materials for LIBs and NIBs. After a brief introduction on the energy concerns and the development prospects of LIBs and NIBs, we further detailed the properties and advantages of tin sulfides and selenides based anode materials for LIBs and NIBs. Besides the material structure design and optimization, the underlying mechanism and theoretical analysis for improved electrochemical performance are also presented. Additionally, comparison of tin sulfides and selenides is also mentioned. Innovative strategies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of enhancing the performance of tin sulfides and selenides based anode materials for LIBs and NIBs are summarized. We hope this timely review can shed light on research and development of tin sulfides and selenides as high-performance anode materials which are not only a good supplement to material pool of the commercialized LIBs, but also help facilitate the development of low-cost and sustainable NIBs for stationary energy storage in the future.

Sodium-based batteries: from critical materials to battery systems

Abstract: Sodium-based energy storage systems are attracting tremendous attention along with the growing demand for electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage. Sharing similar intercalation chemistry to their lithium counterpart, sodium-ion based systems show promising potential for large-scale application due to the benefit of the low cost and natural abundance of sodium sources. However, despite the rapid progress, sodium-based energy storage systems still face enormous challenges such as slow kinetics and unstable cyclability, which continue to attract intense research efforts. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent progress in the material design for sodium-ion batteries, including both inorganic and organic materials. Then, we systematically summarize the current strategies for building post-sodium batteries, typically Na–O2, Na–S, Na–Se, and Na–CO2, with a focus on the key components of different devices, including the electrode materials, electrolytes, and cell structure. Particularly, we discuss in detail the reaction path between Na and S (Se) to facilitate the understanding of the electrochemical mechanism of sodium-ion based systems. Furthermore, to highlight the recent progress, we discuss the design and optimization of Na–O2 (CO2) batteries through an evaluation of the electrolytes and cathode configuration with suitable gas channels, which are critical factors to determine the reaction mechanism. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of sodium-based energy systems are also presented.