CEA researchers were able to work out on something that closely resembles a laptop battery that uses sodium-ion technology. With the idea of using salt in replacement to lithium, batteries could become a lot more affordable.
A research in France by the Commissariat à L'énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives uses sodium ion batteries to replace the current lithium-ion technology. With this in mind, batteries in the near future could become a lot cheaper. It may be too early at the moment, but technology is getting closer and closer to replacing lithium-ion batteries with salt-based batteries.
At present, rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs power up a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone and even an electric car. The only problem is that lithium is a scarce resource on Earth, which is why most devices are expensive. On the other hand, sodium or salt is an abundant earthly resource that people sprinkle it on their food in a whim.
Compared to lithium, sodium is a thousand times common, maybe unlimited, as the Earth's oceans hold an enormous amount of sodium deposits. As lithium-ion batteries are already used in countless expensive devices, one can just imagine if salt-based batteries were to replace them, because the big switch to sodium-ion batteries in a wide variety of consumer products could lead to cost savings, from smartphones to electric vehicles.
Researchers all over the globe have been doing their best to develop such a battery for decades, but the news that came out from France marks the first time that such a battery was developed in the 18650 battery standard for laptop computers. A total of six lab teams from different companies worked hand in hand to develop an ideal cathode structure for the sodium-ion battery pack.
At present, innovations are being worked out to move the process of making salt-based batteries to pre-production scale. Instead of weighing just a few grams, it will be produced weighing in kilograms. Due to energy densities, salt-based batteries have to be heavy and large enough to produce power. There have been developments, and these cathodes are among the best performing salt-based batteries yet. If the research of refining salt-based batteries all goes well, this may lead to less expensive battery technology that would also be easier for the planet's environment.
