"MUSIC is developing novel Sodium-salt chemistries to provide pre-sodiation technologies which can be introduced directly to the cell without the need for any extra equipment"

Frederik Huld, materials engineer at Beyonder, sheds light on the challenges facing SIC technology from a fabrication standpoint. With Beyonder leading the scale-up of carbons and electrode assembly for cell fabrication within the MUSIC project, Huld´s insights provide crucial context into the hurdles that need to be overcome to enhance the viability of sodium-ion capacitors in the market.

• What are the major challenges for SIC tehcnology from the fabrication point of view?

The major challenge to SIC fabrication is the implementation of safe and cost-effective pre-sodiation technologies. Pre-sodiation is critical to providing enough sodium ions to the SIC to increase the energy density, and without this SICs cannot compete effectively. However, current methods and materials available for pre-sodiation are either very expensive, or they require extra equipment and processing, or both.

• What is the MUSIC approach to circunvent that?

MUSIC is developing novel Sodium-salt chemistries to provide pre-sodiation technologies which can be introduced directly to the cell without the need for any extra equipment. This significantly reduces the cost of producing SICs while simultaneously increasing the energy density.

As Beyonder takes the helm in scaling up carbons and electrode assembly within the MUSIC project, Frederik Huld´s elucidation on the challenges and the innovative approach of developing sodium-salt chemistries underscores the project´s commitment to overcoming obstacles in SIC fabrication. By circumventing the limitations through novel technologies, the project aims to not only reduce production costs but also elevate the energy density of sodium-ion capacitors, paving the way for their effective competition in the energy storage landscape.