{"id":20434,"date":"2026-08-17T20:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=20434"},"modified":"2026-08-17T20:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:33:36","slug":"scandium-offers-a-new-route-to-longer-lasting-sodium-ion-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=20434","title":{"rendered":"Scandium offers a new route to longer-lasting sodium-ion batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As nations seek to electrify transport systems and build resilient renewable energy networks, attention is increasingly turning to alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Among the most promising candidates are <strong>sodium-ion batteries<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>(SIBs), which use sodium, an element that is far more abundant and geographically accessible than lithium. Yet despite their advantages, sodium-ion batteries have faced a persistent challenge: long-term durability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new study from Tokyo University of Science (TUS) offers an intriguing solution. Published in the journal <em>Small<\/em>, the research demonstrates how the element <strong>scandium<\/strong> can dramatically improve the cycling performance of sodium-ion battery electrodes through two different but complementary mechanisms. The findings could provide valuable design principles for the next generation of energy-storage technologies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study was led by Professor Shinichi Komaba and Associate Professor Shinichi Kumakura at Tokyo University of Science. The researchers investigated how scandium could enhance the performance of a promising sodium-ion cathode material known as O<sub>3<\/sub>-Na[Ni1\/2Mn1\/2]O<sub>2<\/sub>. This material is attractive because it delivers high capacity yet suffers from significant capacity loss during repeated charging and discharging.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-why-sodium-ion-batteries-matter\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why sodium-ion batteries matter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lithium-ion technology dominates today\u2019s battery landscape, powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. However, concerns remain about the cost, availability and geopolitical concentration of lithium resources. Sodium offers an appealing alternative. It is abundant in the Earth\u2019s crust and can often be sourced more sustainably and at lower cost. Sodium-ion batteries also exhibit favourable safety characteristics and can perform well at lower temperatures. This has generated considerable interest in their use for grid-scale energy storage and future electric vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drawback is that sodium ions are larger than lithium ions, placing greater stress on battery materials. Over repeated cycles, electrode structures can degrade, leading to capacity fading and a shortened battery lifespan. Improving durability therefore remains one of the key hurdles standing between sodium-ion batteries and widespread commercial adoption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tokyo team explored two different routes for incorporating scandium into battery electrodes:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bulk doping<\/strong>, where scandium ions are incorporated directly into the crystal structure of the electrode material.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Surface coating<\/strong>, where scandium forms a protective layer around electrode particles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although both approaches improved battery performance, they worked through distinctly different mechanisms. \u00a0The researchers created scandium-doped materials known as NNMSOx, focusing particularly on an optimised composition called NNMSO8. They also produced a scandium-coated version termed NNMO-SC800.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When tested in sodium-ion cells, both modifications markedly improved durability. Capacity retention after 100 charge-discharge cycles increased from just 18.6 per cent for the unmodified electrode to 67.8 per cent for the scandium-doped material and 75.4 per cent for the scandium-coated version. \u00a0These are substantial gains, especially given the importance of cycle life in commercial battery applications.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-understanding-the-mechanism\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Understanding the mechanism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most interesting aspect of the research lies in understanding <em>why<\/em> the improvements occur. When scandium is introduced into the bulk crystal structure, the electrochemically inactive Sc\u00b3\u207a ions help stabilise the layered architecture of the electrode. The scandium effectively immobilises a fraction of sodium ions, creating structural \u201cpillars\u201d that reduce large volume changes during battery operation. This helps preserve the cathode\u2019s integrity over repeated cycles. \u00a0The coating approach works differently. Instead of changing the bulk structure, scandium forms a surface phase similar to NaScO<sub>2<\/sub>. This protective layer suppresses unwanted side reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface, reducing degradation at the particle surface.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>In other words, doping protects the inside of the electrode, while coating protects the outside.<\/em> <em>This distinction helps explain why the researchers believe that combining the two approaches could be especially powerful.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the most significant result came from testing full sodium-ion cells rather than laboratory half-cells. Using hard carbon anodes combined with the modified cathodes, the team demonstrated impressive long-term cycling performance. After 300 charge-discharge cycles, cells using the scandium-coated cathode retained 91.2 per cent of their initial capacity, while cells using the scandium-doped material retained 71.4 per cent.\u00a0 For a technology still in active development, these results represent a meaningful advance in durability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Komaba summarised the findings succinctly: \u201cOur findings show that a synergistic combination of bulk doping and surface coating is a promising strategy to improve performance of SIBs. This will help extend the lifespan of SIBs and consequently widen their practical application.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scandium is not an abundant element and is considerably more expensive than many common battery materials. The investigators acknowledge this limitation and suggest that scandium should be viewed as a model system for understanding the mechanisms involved. The next logical step will be identifying cheaper and more abundant elements that can replicate the same stabilising effects. \u00a0This reflects a common trajectory in battery research. Early studies often employ highly effective materials to reveal underlying scientific principles, which are then translated into commercially realistic chemistries. The importance of this work extends beyond sodium-ion batteries alone. The study demonstrates how careful engineering of both bulk crystal structures and particle surfaces can dramatically influence battery performance. As renewable energy generation continues to expand, demand for affordable, durable and scalable storage solutions will only increase. Sodium-ion batteries are attracting considerable attention because they avoid some of the resource limitations associated with lithium-ion technology while offering a potentially lower-cost storage platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Scandium offers a new route to longer-lasting sodium-ion batteries<br \/>\n<br \/>#Scandium #offers #route #longerlasting #sodiumion #batteries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As nations seek to electrify transport systems and build resilient renewable energy networks, attention is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[11856,14962,963,4416,15373,15374],"class_list":["post-20434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-batteries","tag-longerlasting","tag-offers","tag-route","tag-scandium","tag-sodiumion"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/854e8f6f9bad1c717d67fa8f48e35706a89b13bb-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20434\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}