Research Projects

The “DST White paper on Evolution - 2024”, and “Niti Aayog’s Need for Advanced Chemistry Cell Energy Storage – 2022” strongly encourages the development of indigenous Na based energy storage devices. The global objective of this proposal is to develop “indigenous” futuristic battery technologies based on solid state sodium battery, and room temperature sodium-sulfur (Na-S) battery with energy density 300 Wh kg-1 for EV & ESS applications. The high energy density in the futuristic Na battery technologies is mainly achieved by utilizing “Sodium (Na) metal, a holy grail” as anode that has a very high capacity (1166 mAh g-1), very low redox potential (−2.71 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode), low density (0.97 g/cc), and abundant availability. However, Na metal anodes undergoes cycle of issues such as unfavorable Na metal interface – electrolyte reactions, poor Na-ion conductive solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, uncontrolled dendrite growth, in both liquid and solid electrolytes. The proposal aims to address the issues in Na anodes by developing interface engineered Na anodes through sensible design of (i) hybrid artificial SEI layer comprising organic/inorganic Na-ion conducting components, and (ii) 3D porous-dense bilayer Na-ion Super Conductor architectures. The developed modified Na anodes developed will have high (i) phase stability, (ii) electrochemical stability, and (iii) chemical stability against both liquid and solid electrolytes. The artificial SEI layers can efficiently direct facile Na deposition below Na-ion conducting artificial SEI layers, helping to achieve very low overpotential and high coulombic efficiency. Moreover, the interface engineered Na anode will exhibit high mechanical flexibility to promote dendrite free Na plating even at high current density (10 mA cm−2), high capacity (10 mAh cm−2). Encouraged by “Make in India”, and “Start-up India” scheme, the commercialization of the futuristic battery technologies will be seriously considered by prototyping the sodium state battery by coupling with newly developed Na metal anode with solid electrolyte, and high voltage cobalt free cathodes. Similarly, room temperature Na-S battery prototype will be developed by coupling with sulfur cathode.