phones could soon be powered by sodium-ion batteries | …

The next battery that powers the smartphone can use sodium in daily salt.
Not only is sodium richer than the lithium currently used, so it\'s cheaper, but batteries made of sodium can maintain more power, charge faster and have a longer life.
This is the hope of a team of French researchers who have published the first prototype of their battery, called Na-ion cell.
Researchers even think their technology can scale.
Renewable energy generation, including wind and solar, has overcome one of the main obstacles to these energy sources.
The prototype battery is manufactured by the electronic storage network and the national scientific research center of France (CNRS).
It was created in 18650 format-
A battery similar to a large AA battery, usually used in laptops and Tesla electric vehicles.
During charging and discharge cycles, sodium ions move from one electrode to another in the liquid.
The energy density of these new batteries is quoted at about 90Wh/kg (Watt-
Hourly per kilogram).
It\'s about half of the modern battery, but it\'s comparable to the first lithium battery.
Ion cells produced
Even this is twice the potential.
Acid car battery.
Scientists say the new technology is expected to achieve \"unmatched performance\" and the energy density will match Lithium
Ion, plus a great extension of life.
During the test, it was found that the new battery was able to withstand at least 2,000 charge and discharge cycles without losing performance.
This is compared to 400 and 1,200 of lithiumion.
Prototype, Na-
Ion batteries can also charge faster, delivering energy \"very fast.
However, a major incentive will be the economy, as sodium is 1,000 times more common than lithium.
Lithium is one of the lightest of all metals, with the largest \"electrochemical potential\" and is ideal for batteries. Lithium-
The energy density of ion batteries per kilogram is also the largest, and the energy released is twice that of ordinary nickel-cadmium batteries.
But lithium is rare and expensive to make.
The circuit is also unstable and needs to be protected to limit the voltage and current. The Na-
The ion project has been transferred from laboratory scale with only a few grams of special-
Synthesis of the formula cathode material to the pre-
Production stage in kilograms.
This is an important step in increasing energy density and making the battery suitable for mass production.