As the oldest form of rechargeable battery, the lead-acid battery has been used throughout history for stationary applications. Unfortunately, this outdated storage presents many problems and concerns to this new age, including but not limited to: significant negative impact on the environment, sulfation, low density and low cycle life. These problems created a strong desire to switch from the Lead-acid battery to the more environmentally friendly secondary battery. Recent advances in battery development have promoted Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) technology, with its high thermal stability making it suitable for high-rate charge-discharge applications in both vehicles and power tools, however the primary reason lead-acid batteries are not yet abandoned is because of their affordability compared to other alternatives.
Another alternative battery option would be the aqueous electrolyte battery such as aqueous sodium battery. The aqueous sodium cation chemistry in these batteries could be a potential replacement for lead-acid batteries. Not only is it less expensive (compared to the lithium battery) but it also has a smaller environmental footprint. Unfortunately, the low energy density nature of the aqueous sodium battery makes it unsuitable for higher-energy systems, such as vehicular transportation. However, the aqueous sodium battery can still be used to replace lead-acid batteries used in small energy storage applications.
The progress made in battery development has been great, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. For example, batteries such as the LFP battery are still expensive to produce. For instance, in order to manufacture LiFePO4 active material and its dopant, one major production method is using iron oxalate as Fe source precursor and NH4H2PO4 as PO4 source precursor. However, the manufacturing process for iron oxalate and NH4H2PO4 generates hazardous gas, and the processing cost is very high. Another method which is quickly gaining attention is the use of fine quality iron phosphate as precursor for both Fe and PO4 source. However, the manufacturing cost for iron phosphate is also very high. Thus, there is a need of a new method or process of producing the LFP battery at a reduced cost.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.