FuseTheWaste

Climate change and the increasing demand for energy storage (ES) urge the development of sustainable battery systems. Indeed, electrochemical storage systems containing earth-abundant materials (e.g., sodium (Na) and sulphur (S)) could be a choice for sustainable battery development. In this regard, room-temperature sodium-sulphur batteries (RT-Na-SBs) have attracted extensive attention due to their low cost and their theoretical high specific energy. Yet, RT-Na-SBs usually suffer from low reversible capacity, short lifespan and inferior coulombic efficiency compared to Li-ion Batteries (LIBs). Thus, we aim to develop cathode materials that address the intrinsic downsides of current RT-Na-SBs, e.g., polysulfide shuttling (PSS) (Na2Sn, 4≤ n ≤ 8) and low electrical conductivity of elemental sulfur (S8) by designing novel polymeric materials based on domestic waste (e.g., waste-cooking oil (WCO) and eggshell (EGS), intended for landfills or sewage) into high-value ES materials for sustainable energy development. The key-idea is to develop cathode materials that ensure large S content (i.e., ∼90 wt %) by fusing the landfill and domestic waste materials (e.g., S8, EGS and WCO) to ensure minimum PSS, enhanced kinetics and high-conductivity. Moreover, attempts towards anode-free metal-S battery development through pre-sodiation of such cathode materials will be investigated.