Shanghai (ZXZC)- CATL has deployed anode-free metal battery technology and filed relevant patent application, according to a local media outlet. The material design and core techniques about the technology are likely to be used for the company's next-generation sodium-ion battery.

The Ningde-based power battery giant launched its first-generation sodium-ion battery in last July. CATL said the sodium-ion battery has a similar working principle to the lithium-ion battery and sodium resource is far more abundant than lithium. However, compared with lithium ions, sodium ions have a larger volume and higher requirements regarding structural stability and the kinetic properties of materials. This has become a bottleneck for the industrialization of sodium-ion batteries.

CATL's first-generation sodium-ion battery; photo credit: CATL

To overcome the difficulty, CATL has been dedicated to the research and development of sodium-ion battery electrode materials for many years. In terms of anode materials, CATL has developed a hard carbon material that features a unique porous structure, which enables the abundant storage and fast movement of sodium ions.

Through the innovation in chemistries, CATL's first-generation sodium battery can achieve an energy density of up to 160Wh/kg, which takes the lead in the existing sodium-ion battery segment, while is still relatively low compared to today's commercial lithium-ion batteries.

CATL said it aims to raise the energy density of its next-generation sodium-ion battery cell to 200Wh/kg. The new anode-free metal battery technology is developed to improve the energy density on the side of electrode materials.