Kharagpur, Aug 9 (KNN) IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed low-cost, fast-charging Sodium-ion(Na-ion) batteries that will bring down the cost of e-cycles significantly.

Professor VK Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur stated, “Taking advantage of the fact that Na-ion batteries can be charged rapidly, a team led by Professor Amreesh has integrated it in e-cycles which is an easy, affordable option for the masses.”

”With further development, the price of these vehicles can be brought down to the range of Rs. 10-15k making them nearly 25 per cent affordable than Li-ion storage technology-based e-cycles,” he said.

Under the ‘Materials for Energy Storage Program’ and support from Technology Mission Division (TMD) of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, the team has used sodium iron phosphates and sodium manganese phosphates which they synthesized to obtain Na-ion-based batteries and supercapacitors. The use of Na-ion-based batteries will also help in addressing the climate mitigation issue.

Professor Amreesh Chandra, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “Sodium ion batteries and supercapacitors can now compete with their illustrious counterparts i.e. Li-ion based energy storage devices.”

“Combination of novel nanostructures of Na-based oxides and carbon leads to high energy and power density devices. These energy storage devices can be used easily in electric vehicles and many other applications and will eliminate our dependence on imported lithium, which is found only in a select few countries of the world,” he said.

The sodium materials are cheaper than Li-based materials, high performing, and can be scaled up to industrial-level production.The Na-ion cell can also be totally discharged to zero volt, similar to a capacitor, making it a safer option in comparison to many other storage technologies.  (KNN Bureau)