Yes, I just looked they are nanoglass really a ceramic matrix and sodium is the charge carrier they didn’t show if it’s the ion form or metal form in the anode. Either would work in a solidus matrix of glass or ceramic.
Sodium and lithium are in the same column on the periodic table which is really just a electron shell org chart. Sodium has very similar electrochemical properties but a slightly larger electron shell radius which means it’s ionic radius is also larger you need bigger “cages” in your cathode and if it’s not metal anode then an ion receptor cage there too.
Sodium changes the game from a resource limit view. Even more exciting with sodium in the mix.
Sodium charge curves should look like lithium it’s blood brother being so close in electron shell config.
What this really does is light the fire under BYD and CATL to up their game. Both have the manufacturing giant plants to crank out cells by the gigawatts worth. Donut could just licence them the rights and take it to the bank. Honestly that’s what I would do. Sell the rights get super rich off it and retire to an island in the Southern hemisphere so when the nukes fly the Hadley cell keeps all that fallout in the Northern hemisphere.
That makes it more exciting as sodium chloride is pennys per kg vs $$ for lithium carbonate.
I agree, and thank you for pointing out how sodium would appear so similar to lithium in it's charge/discharge profile.
Sodium is far more plentiful and easy to obtain than lithium.
We may be facing a future in which we have actually good batteries with better capacity, far greater life expectancy, and just a better storage system all around.
A lot of my concerns about Electric Vehicles may be suddenly getting addressed and resolved.
Of course we still have "the government controlling them" problem, which won't be resolved through chemistry.