Fabrication of a Full-Scale Pilot Model of a Cost-Effective Sodium Nickel-Iron Chloride Battery Over 40 Ah

To fabricate a full-scale pilot model of the cost-effective Na-(Ni,Fe)Cl-2 cell, a Na-beta-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE) was developed by applying a one-step synthesis cum sintering process as an alternative to the conventional solid-state reaction process. Also, Fe metal powder, which is cheaper than Ni, was mixed with Ni metal powder, and was used for cathode material to reduce the cost of raw material. As a result, we then developed a prototype Na-(Ni,Fe)Cl-2 cell. Consequently, the Ni content in the Na-(Ni,Fe)Cl-2 cell is decreased to approximately (20 to 50) wt.%. The #1 prototype cell (dimensions: 34 mm x 34 mm x 235 mm) showed a cell capacity of 15.9 Ah, and 160.3 mAh g-1 (per the Ni-Fe composite), while the #2 prototype cell (dimensions: 50 mm x 50 mm x 335 mm) showed a cell capacity of 49.4 Ah, and 153.2 mAh g(-1) at the 2nd cycle.

Automated summary

The study successfully reduced the Ni content and improved the cell capacity of the Na-(Ni,Fe)Cl-2 cell by developing a new solid electrolyte and selecting lower-cost raw materials.