Stress Corrosion Cracking of NaSICON Membranes in Aqueous Electrolytes for Redox-Flow Batteries

Zhang, Mengyao; Tseng, Kang-Ting; Kwabi, David G.; Sakamoto, Jeff; Dasgupta, Neil P.; Thouless, M. D.

doi:10.1149/1945-7111/adc630

Stress Corrosion Cracking of NaSICON Membranes in Aqueous Electrolytes for Redox-Flow Batteries

Journal Article · Wed Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/adc630· OSTI ID:2551896

Zhang, Mengyao; Tseng, Kang-Ting; ; Sakamoto, Jeff; ; Thouless, M. D.

The sodium super-ionic conductor (NaSICON) has versatile applications as a ceramic electrolyte for energy storage, where it can serve as an impermeable separator in solid-state batteries and redox flow systems. In particular, NaSICON systems have been proposed to be relatively stable in contact with water, making them compatible with aqueous battery chemistries. However, owing to their brittle nature and metal oxide constituents, stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) is an important failure mechanism that has not been previously explored. In this study, we assess the fracture toughness of NaSICON membranes in contact with aqueous solutions that are relevant to redox flow systems. Microindentation was performed to generate visible surface cracks and residual stress, which were observed to grow in length after exposure to aqueous solutions. This allows for a quantitative measurement of fracture toughness, which decreases after exposure to water. To contextualize these results, we develop a simplified model of the fracture behavior in aqueous redox-flow batteries that incorporate NaSICON membranes, illustrating the importance of SCC in cell design. This work provides quantitative insights into SCC as a failure mode in NaSICON, enhancing our understanding of the chemo-mechanical behavior of ceramic electrolytes in contact with aqueous solutions.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NONE; SC0023438

OSTI ID:: 2551896

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 172; ISSN 0013-4651

Publisher:: The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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