Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Electrolysis03:00

Electrolysis

26.6K
In a galvanic cell, the electrical work is done by a redox system on its surroundings as electrons produced by the spontaneous redox reactions are transferred through an external circuit. Alternatively, an external circuit does work on a redox system by imposing a voltage sufficient to drive an otherwise nonspontaneous reaction in a process known as electrolysis. For instance, recharging a battery involves the use of an external power source to drive the spontaneous (discharge) cell reaction in...
26.6K
Batteries and Fuel Cells03:12

Batteries and Fuel Cells

27.6K
A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...
27.6K
Voltaic/Galvanic Cells02:47

Voltaic/Galvanic Cells

57.5K
Spontaneous Chemical Reactions
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
57.5K
Concentration Cells02:41

Concentration Cells

22.9K
A concentration cell is a type of a  voltaic cell constructed by connecting two almost identical half-cells, both based on the same half-reaction and using the same electrode, differing only in the concentration of one redox species. A concentration cell's potential, therefore, is determined only by the concentration difference of the particular redox species.
Consider the following voltaic cell:
22.9K
Oxidation-Reduction Reactions03:11

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

65.1K
Oxidation–Reduction Reactions
65.1K
DC Battery01:21

DC Battery

824
A conductor needs to be a component of a path that creates a closed loop or full circuit to have a continuous current flowing through it. A current starts to flow if an electric field is created inside an isolated conductor that is not part of a full circuit. The conductor quickly develops a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. These charges generate an electric field opposite the direction of the applied electric field, which reduces the current. Eventually,...
824

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Monolithic additive manufacturing of a fluid-structure coupled architected cellular mechanical system for rate-adaptive enhanced energy dissipation.

Materials horizons·2026
Same author

Functional Interface Modifier with Visualizations of Dendrite Growth and Heat Evolution in Lithium Metal Batteries.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026
Same author

Contra-Diffusion Engineering of Single-Atom Catalytic Interlayers Enables Reversible Sulfur Redox Chemistry.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026
Same author

Electron-Deficient Bimetallic Oxide Electrocatalyst for High-Efficiency Ammonia Synthesis Under Ambient Conditions.

ChemSusChem·2026
Same author

Anode-Free Batteries: Pioneering Energy Storage Revolution.

Chemical reviews·2026
Same author

High-bandwidth nonvolatile optical memory based on MMI-integrated racetrack resonator with embedded ReRAM.

Optics express·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Characterization of Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion Batteries Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques
10:03

Characterization of Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion Batteries Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques

Published on: November 11, 2013

25.5K

Shedding light on rechargeable Na/Cl2 battery.

Guanzhou Zhu1, Peng Liang1, Cheng-Liang Huang2,3

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Bio-X, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 20, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Rechargeable sodium/chlorine batteries utilize a carbon electrode that reversibly forms carbon-chlorine bonds and traps chlorine gas during charging. This process enables high-capacity energy storage, advancing battery technology.

Keywords:
batterychemistryenergy storagematerial sciences

More Related Videos

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
07:55

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Published on: April 17, 2018

12.8K
Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive
08:35

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Published on: January 7, 2019

9.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Characterization of Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion Batteries Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques
10:03

Characterization of Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion Batteries Using Synchrotron Radiation Techniques

Published on: November 11, 2013

25.5K
Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
07:55

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Published on: April 17, 2018

12.8K
Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive
08:35

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Published on: January 7, 2019

9.2K

Area of Science:

  • Electrochemistry and Materials Science
  • Advanced Energy Storage Solutions

Background:

  • Growing demand for efficient energy storage necessitates novel rechargeable battery chemistries.
  • Previous work established rechargeable sodium/chlorine (Na/Cl2) and lithium/chlorine (Li/Cl2) batteries using metal anodes and carbon cathodes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the detailed reaction mechanisms within the amorphous carbon nanosphere (aCNS) positive electrode during Na/Cl2 battery operation.
  • To investigate the structural and chemical transformations of the aCNS electrode during charge and discharge cycles.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to identify surface chemical species, including carbon-chlorine (C-Cl) bonds and trapped molecular chlorine (Cl2).
  • Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) to analyze structural changes in the aCNS electrode, observing the development of graphitic ordering.
  • Mass spectrometry to confirm the presence of Cl2 during the charging process.

Main Results:

  • Charging a Na/Cl2 battery leads to the chlorination of the aCNS electrode, forming C-Cl bonds and infiltrating the porous structure with Cl2.
  • The aCNS electrode undergoes reversible graphitic ordering upon charging and amorphization upon discharge, correlating with redox conversion.
  • XPS and mass spectrometry confirmed the presence and reversibility of Cl2 species within the porous carbon electrode.

Conclusions:

  • The rechargeable Na/Cl2 battery chemistry involves a redox conversion between NaCl and Cl2, coupled with reversible structural changes in the carbon electrode.
  • The formation of C-Cl bonds and reversible graphitic ordering are key mechanisms enabling high cyclable capacity in these advanced batteries.
  • This study provides critical insights into the fundamental processes governing the performance of chlorine-based rechargeable batteries.