This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Chinese researchers have developed a new way to improve sodium–sulfur battery performance by changing the atomic structure of a catalyst. Led by professors Wang Hui and Zheng Fangcai from the High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study is published in Angewandte Chemie.
Main-group metal single-atom catalysts are attractive for sodium–sulfur batteries because they are relatively inexpensive and have low toxicity. However, their catalytic activity remains limited, and the interactions between p-block metal atoms and sodium polysulfides formed during battery operation are not yet fully understood. In this study, the researchers modified the atomic structure around individual aluminum (Al) atoms.
They introduced nitrogen atoms into an existing structure in which each Al atom was surrounded by four oxygen atoms, replacing one oxygen atom with nitrogen. This created an asymmetric structure with three oxygen atoms and one nitrogen atom around each Al atom. The change altered the distribution of electrons around the Al atoms, strengthening their interaction with sodium polysulfides.
As a result, fewer polysulfides escaped from the cathode, while the reactions involved in battery operation proceeded more efficiently. The batteries also maintained stable performance over thousands of charge-discharge cycles, showing good potential for long-lasting sodium–sulfur batteries. According to the researchers, the findings highlight the importance of the local atomic environment in determining the catalytic activity of single-atom catalysts and offer new possibilities for designing efficient catalysts based on main-group metals.
Fangcai Zheng et al., Asymmetrically Coordinated p ‐Block Aluminum Single‐Atom Sites for Stable Na─S Batteries, Angewandte Chemie (2026). DOI: 10.1002/ange.9140872 BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator.
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