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Sodium-ion batteries, known as "post-lithium batteries," have recently become the focus of attention. This kind of battery is characterized by not using rare metals and using only ordinary materials. Has Japan's battery industry, once considered a masterpiece, regain its glory?
In 2010, after the Sino-Japanese collision in the Diaoyu Islands waters, China began to restrict the export of rare earths. Rare earths are an indispensable resource for high-tech industries such as electric motors for hybrid vehicles and organic EL displays. They are also called "industry vitamins."
China, the world’s largest producer of rare earths, has begun to restrict exports. Purchasing crisis has emerged and rare earth prices have soared. The prices of neodymium and neodymium used for magnets peaked in July 2011, which is more than 30 times that of 2007 (results from Mizuho Corporate Banking Industry Survey). Not only Japan, but companies around the world have suffered a heavy blow.
The crisis is not over yet
After that, with the development of recycling technologies and rare earth-free product development, the price of rare earths in China has gradually declined. In 2014, the World Trade Organization (WTO) determined that the export restrictions imposed by China were in violation. In January 2015, the Chinese government made a decision to withdraw its export restrictions.
However, the crisis of rare earths and other rare elements did not end there. Rare earths are only part of the 31 rare metals, and other elements are entirely likely to encounter problems such as export restrictions.
Lithium is also a common rare metal and is mainly used in batteries. The purpose of developing lithium batteries is to meet the urgent needs of mobile phones and notebook computers for high-capacity, small-sized batteries. In 1991, Sony took the lead in the world to commercialize lithium batteries and swept the market. Not only mobile devices, but also a wide range of applications such as stationary batteries and vehicle batteries. Fuji economic forecast, by 2018, the global lithium battery market will expand to 2 trillion yen scale.
Lithium in Japan all depends on imports from South America and other places. As the market expands, it ensures that the problem of future resource supply and costs will gradually emerge.
Moreover, lithium batteries use another rare metal, cobalt, in addition to lithium. A survey conducted by the NTT Institute of Complex Research shows that using an existing technology to produce a pure electric vehicle (EV) requires approximately 20 kg of lithium and approximately 40 kg of cobalt. Even if the global output is supplied to EV, the output of lithium will only be used by 7 million vehicles per year, while cobalt is used by only 1 million vehicles. With the popularization of renewable energy sources, if the demand for large-scale storage batteries increases, resource depletion and price inflation will be inevitable.
Faced with this situation, the government cannot stand idly by. As a national crisis management measure, we have developed technologies to get rid of the dependence of rare elements. Since 2008, Japan has launched a national research project called “Elemental Strategic Projectâ€. The development of post-lithium batteries is also one of the projects.
The project proposes replacing sodium with sodium. On the periodic table, sodium is below lithium and its properties are similar to lithium. The greatest benefit of sodium is that it is abundant in seawater and other resources and is an "inexhaustible" element.
However, the development of sodium-ion batteries has long been neglected. "Using sodium as a battery does not work at all." Although the nature of the material is similar to that of lithium, this understanding still exists among material chemistry experts. Ionic batteries are charged and discharged by the movement of ions between positive and negative electrodes. In this process, ions need to smoothly enter between the positive and negative materials. The volume of sodium ions is about twice that of lithium ions, and it is difficult to enter the electrode material. According to a general viewpoint, sodium ions cannot be charged and discharged in practice. Therefore, until the 1990s, researchers almost ignored sodium-ion batteries.
However, Japanese researchers have subverted this inherent concept. In 2009, with the development of material development, the development of sodium-ion batteries has steadily advanced. Tokyo University of Science and Technology professor Shinichi Koji, a research associate at the time, used the carbon-based material as the negative electrode in the world to achieve the first successful recharge and discharge of sodium-ion batteries. Breaking the limits of charge and discharge of the past 10 times or so, we have developed batteries that can be reused hundreds of times, opening the way for practical use.
Taking this research as an opportunity, the world has set off competition for the study of sodium-ion batteries. The number of papers increased rapidly after 2009. “The number of papers published worldwide is estimated to be hundreds of times before†(Prof. Horiba).
Sodium-ion batteries have three major advantages.
First, the cost of raw materials is low. Not only do you not use rare metals such as lithium and cobalt, but you can also use aluminum instead of copper for substrates that are powered. Because high-priced materials are not used, "Compared with lithium batteries, the cost can be reduced by at least 10%, and if it goes well, it can be reduced by 30%" (Prof. Horiba).
The second is to follow the existing production process. The working mechanism of the sodium ion battery is the same as that of the lithium ion battery. The existing production equipment of the battery company can be directly used to produce the sodium ion battery. Because there is basically no need for equipment investment, it is easy for companies to use it as an alternative battery for production.
A schematic diagram of a negative electrode developed by Professor Yamada Toshio of the Graduate School of Tokyo University. A flaky material consisting of titanium (red) and carbon (ash)
The third is rapid charge and discharge. Professor Horiba said: “In principle, the charging time of a sodium-ion battery can be reduced to 1/5 of a lithium-ion battery.†As long as fast charging is achieved, the charging time of the EV can be naturally shortened. A team of professors from the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, Yamada and others, found that titanium compounds made from carbon and titanium adsorb and release large amounts of sodium ions. A battery prepared by using this compound as an electrode does not deteriorate performance even if rapid charge and discharge are repeated. Professor Yamada predicted: “Sodium will not immediately replace lithium, but will be used gradually as a substitute for lithium in applications suited to its characteristics.â€
The company continues to develop in secret
In order to commercialize the battery with the above advantages, many private companies are developing. Sumitomo Electric Industries, for example, developed a sodium-ion battery that can operate even when the internal temperature of the battery is low in 2013. Because there is no space for heat dissipation, the volume is successfully reduced to below the lithium battery. The goal is to apply to residential batteries and pure electric vehicles.
Although Toyota did not announce the news, it is estimated that it has been developing sodium-ion batteries for HEVs and PHEVs as alternatives to nickel-hydrogen batteries and lithium batteries. At the Battery Technology Committee of the Japan Electrochemical Society held in May 2015, the company's battery research department announced that it has developed new materials for the positive electrode of sodium-ion batteries.
Mitsubishi Chemical has been cooperating with Professor Horiba of Tokyo University of Science. "Specific names cannot be disclosed. A total of four or five companies, including overseas companies, are participating in cooperative research" (Prof. Horiba).
Although the sodium-ion battery is a hot topic for companies to develop, there are also problems: The battery stores less energy than the lithium battery. Because sodium is heavier than lithium, the same weight of the battery, lithium battery capacity is greater.
After the development competition in recent years, the storage capacity of sodium-ion batteries has reached 90% of lithium, and it has been able to side by side. However, Professor Fukuda said: "If there is no new breakthrough, it will be difficult to put it into practice. However, I think it is achievable." The reason for this is that the positive and negative electrodes of the sodium-ion battery can use a wide variety of materials.
Iron, manganese, nickel, carbon, and so on, not only can use more materials, but also can change the performance of the battery by mixing in different proportions or at different temperatures. Lithium battery materials have been optimized for 30 years, and sodium batteries have only been research competition for about 5 years. Naturally there are huge possibilities.
From lead batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries to lithium batteries, the battery industry has always been regarded as Japan's masterpiece. However, in recent years, under the impact of companies in Korea and other places, the share of Japanese manufacturers is gradually losing. The sodium ion battery has gained attention as a new generation of batteries. In order to avoid the use of rare metals, to achieve crisis management at the national strategy level, and to allow Japan's battery industry to return to the peak of the world, the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries is accelerating. (Reporter: Shimadzu Shiina)
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