Feng Lin, associate professor of chemistry and Leo and Melva Harris Faculty Fellow, and his group has recently secured two distinct federal grants aimed at advancing sodium-ion battery technology.

Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a promising alternative to current lithium-ion technologies, particularly in applications such as short-range electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems, owing to their abundance of raw materials. One significant advantage of sodium-ion batteries over lithium counterparts lies in their enhanced compositional flexibility, allowing for the integration of a wide range of 3d transition metals into the layered oxide structure for redox chemistry.

The first project centers on the synthesis and optimization of sodium-ion layered oxide cathode materials, leveraging non-critical, earth-abundant, and cost-effective raw materials. The second project focuses on the mechanistic understanding of electrochemomechanics in phase-changing sodium-ion electrode materials.

These projects underscore Lin Lab’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of battery research and contributing to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions.

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