Developing Single Crystal Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Sodium Ion Batteries
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Hui (Claire) Xiong, Boise State University; and Jiacheng Hu, Boise State University
Presentation Date
7-16-2026
Abstract
Sodium-ion battery technology is a promising compliment to advancing lithium-ion batteries when considering the increasing cost and scarcity of lithium. Sodium has the potential to be cheaper, safe, and is more abundant in the Earth’s crust. Layered transition metal oxides (LTMOs) are the most promising cathode materials for sodium-ion technology in terms of its high theoretical capacity (O type structure), facile Na-ion diffusion pathways (P type structure), and compositional tunability. Most reported LTMOs materials have been synthesized by simple solid-state method or as polycrystalline secondary particles through a conventional co-precipitation method. However, these polycrystalline materials often suffer from severe capacity fading and voltage decay during long-term cycling. A possible alternative to stabilize the structure of LTMO electrode materials is the preparation of single crystal electrode materials, which has shown better long-term cycling performance as well as improved chemical structuring. This research explores synthesis of single crystal cathode materials with P2 type and O3 type structure via the molten salt method in order to understand if the molten salt synthesis methods can be used to obtain similar or better electrochemical stability and performance in single crystal cathodes versus polycrystalline cathodes.
Developing Single Crystal Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Sodium Ion Batteries
Sodium-ion battery technology is a promising compliment to advancing lithium-ion batteries when considering the increasing cost and scarcity of lithium. Sodium has the potential to be cheaper, safe, and is more abundant in the Earth’s crust. Layered transition metal oxides (LTMOs) are the most promising cathode materials for sodium-ion technology in terms of its high theoretical capacity (O type structure), facile Na-ion diffusion pathways (P type structure), and compositional tunability. Most reported LTMOs materials have been synthesized by simple solid-state method or as polycrystalline secondary particles through a conventional co-precipitation method. However, these polycrystalline materials often suffer from severe capacity fading and voltage decay during long-term cycling. A possible alternative to stabilize the structure of LTMO electrode materials is the preparation of single crystal electrode materials, which has shown better long-term cycling performance as well as improved chemical structuring. This research explores synthesis of single crystal cathode materials with P2 type and O3 type structure via the molten salt method in order to understand if the molten salt synthesis methods can be used to obtain similar or better electrochemical stability and performance in single crystal cathodes versus polycrystalline cathodes.