Z. Armstrong
Cascade Computing LLC, Idaho, United States
Keywords: sodium, battery, electrode, energy storage, secure materials
Modern military operations demand reliable, lightweight, and sustainable energy solutions that can perform in austere environments while reducing logistical burdens. Sodium-ion batteries represent a transformative technology for defense applications, offering strategic advantages over traditional lithium-based systems. Sodium is far more abundant than lithium, enabling more secure supply chains, and sodium based materials offer a few advantages over their lithium based counterparts, including greater thermal stability. Using density functional theory (DFT) simulations, we have identified promising candidates for new cathodes based on double perovskite oxides. These candidate materials are based on earth-abundant transition metals and are suitable for application in next-generation electric vehicles. These calculations offer new experimental directions for developing high performing sodium cathodes and offer insight into the fundamental chemistry that drives the performance of sodium based batteries. With exceptional electrochemical performance derived from earth-abundant materials, sodium batteries are well positioned to power tomorrow's mission, ensuring secure supply chains.