Molten salt batteries (MSBs) are gaining traction for their ability to operate at temperatures above 300°C with energy densities exceeding 200 Wh/kg. Recent advancements in Na-S chemistry have enabled efficiencies of up to 95% at 350°C, making them ideal for industrial heat recovery systems. The use of low-cost materials like sulfur and sodium reduces production costs by up to 40% compared to lithium-ion batteries.
A key challenge in MSBs is managing electrode corrosion, which can degrade performance by up to 20% over extended cycles. Innovations such as ceramic-coated steel current collectors have reduced corrosion rates by a factor of five, extending battery lifetimes beyond ten years in continuous operation at high temperatures. Computational models predict that further material optimization could push energy densities beyond 300 Wh/kg by optimizing salt compositions and electrode architectures.
MSBs are being explored for space applications due to their resilience in extreme environments. Prototypes tested under vacuum conditions at -150°C to +500°C have demonstrated stable operation with minimal capacity loss over thousands of cycles. These batteries could power deep-space missions where traditional systems fail due to temperature extremes or radiation exposure.
Recent research has focused on integrating MSBs with renewable energy systems for long-duration storage (LDS). A pilot project using a molten salt Zn-Br battery achieved a round-trip efficiency of over -90% while storing energy for more than -12 hours.
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