Which element can replace lithium as a battery material?

Lithium (Li) is an indispensable element in products such as smart phones, notebook computers, and electric vehicles. The batteries they use are all lithium batteries. Lithium battery is a kind of secondary battery (accumulator), which can be recharged repeatedly and used for a long time. When discharging, lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode, thereby generating current. An ion refers to a state in which an atom loses or gains electrons and is in a positively or negatively charged state. When voltage is applied to the battery (charged) from the outside, the lithium ions that have moved to the positive electrode can return to the negative electrode and are again in a dischargeable state. The battery is important to use the difference in the difficulty of releasing electrons between the negative electrode material and the positive electrode material to generate electricity. A material that easily releases electrons is used as a negative electrode, and a material that easily receives electrons is used as a positive electrode. The greater the difference between the difficulty for the negative electrode to release electrons and the difficulty for the positive electrode to receive electrons, the greater the power (voltage) of the battery. Lithium batteries rely on lithium ions (Li+) to move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode to generate electricity. Initially, lithium is intercalated in the voids of the negative layered carbon. After connecting the positive and negative electrodes with wires, lithium releases electrons and turns into lithium ions, which move through the diaphragm to the positive electrode, where they are captured by the layered structure of lithium cobalt oxide. The reaction when charging is completely opposite. Lithium itself is not used as a negative electrode material, but it is mixed in carbon and essentially serves as a negative electrode. The ease of releasing electrons (ionization tendency) depends on the type of element. Lithium is the easiest element of all elements to release electrons (high ionization tendency). When used as the negative electrode of a battery, the voltage is the highest. In addition, lithium is also the lightest metal element, with smaller atoms, which is the best element for miniaturization and portability of batteries. At first glance, lithium seems to be the best material for making batteries, but it also has a fatal flaw. Lithium is an alkali metal element that easily reacts with other substances. For example, when it encounters water, it quickly generates hydrogen and releases heat. Therefore, how to use it is a big headache for researchers. However, lithium batteries successfully dealt with this problem, not only reducing the high reactivity of lithium, but also improving its ability to release electrons. Can replace lithium with sodium In addition to the problem of high reactivity, lithium also faces other problems when it is used as a battery. The natural reserve of lithium in the earth's crust ranks 31st among all elements, which is relatively large and cannot be called a truly rare element. But the problem is that there are few places where lithium is produced, only Chile, Bolivia and other regions. If these production areas interrupt the supply for some reason, the world will suddenly fall into the predicament of a lack of lithium resources. The concentration of sodium in seawater is very high, and its production area is very wide. If sodium can be used to replace lithium, people's worries about insufficient lithium supply can be completely eliminated. In the periodic table, sodium is located in the next row of lithium, and both belong to the first group of alkali metal elements, and their properties are very similar. Although the ionization tendency of sodium is slightly lower than that of lithium (the voltage of the battery becomes slightly lower), it does not hinder its use as an electrode. Therefore, according to basically the same mechanism as lithium batteries, sodium ion batteries can be processed. Disclaimer: Some pictures and content of articles published on this site are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete. Previous: How about the life of new energy batteries?