Kazakhstan’s bright spark powering the future: Lunara Rakhymbay’s journey into sodium-Ion batteries
As part of a special interview series for Science Week dedicated to the Day of Science Workers in Kazakhstan, marked annually on April 12, Kazinform shares an exclusive interview with Lunara Rakhymbay, a researcher at the Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Systems for Energy Storage at Nazarbayev University.
Her research, focused on the development of cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries and energy storage, contributes to the global effort to create sustainable and cost-effective technologies that could serve as viable alternatives to current lithium-based systems.
Lunara shared her motivation and the urgency behind her research, saying, “I was always passionate about solving the demand of the energy storage solutions and the climate challenges. As you know, now the battery market is growing, and I was excited to explore the sodium-ion batteries as a promising alternative to the lithium-ion batteries. As sodium has a low cost and abundance, it's one of the most promising alternatives.”
With the global battery market dominated by lithium-ion technology, Rakhymbay’s research presents a notable alternative. “To compete with lithium-ion batteries, we are developing low-cost sodium-ion batteries. And what makes it (unique), it's the low-cost design and high-capacity materials with advanced tools and the use of these materials in practical applications.”
When asked about the technical differences between sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries, she explained that “their function is very similar to the lithium-ion battery; just a little chemistry is different. During charging, the sodium ion has to migrate from the cathode through the electrolyte and get stored into anode, but in the lithium-ion batteries, we are using graphite. In the case of sodium-ion batteries, we are using hard carbon. In our group, I'm focusing on cathode material, but some of our graduates are working with hard carbon. We are synthesizing hard carbon from the bio-waste, paper, coffee waste, and sheets, which is also more sustainable.”
During Kazinform’s visit, Lunara also demonstrated the process of assembling a battery, explaining the steps and sharing where sodium-ion batteries currently stand in terms of application: “The application of sodium-ion batteries has still not reached the level of lithium-ion batteries, and now they are using them for their e-bikes and scooters like this, not like for electric cars, for which we need to work hard,” she said.
Beyond academia, Lunara is driven by a desire to convert lab discoveries into real-world impact: “I'm thinking about a practical application because we are working on the projects on the lab scale, then we are obtaining high-capacity material. Now, for me, it's interesting to test them in practical applications. It's very interesting to see how your material can compete and how your material can work.”
Her next steps are already outlined, with aspirations to deepen her expertise and contribute further to the field. “Now, I am seeking postdoctoral research, like, abroad to get more experience and work with the distinguished professors and to learn from them and publish our results in the high-impact factor journals. I am still interested in exploring the sodium-ion batteries, and in the future I would like also to explore sodium solid-state batteries.”
Lunara’s journey in this field began several years ago, following a steady academic path that brought her to where she is today. “I joined this field after the graduation of my master's degree in 2018. In 2020, I was offered here as a PhD student. For about five years, I was working in this field. I also recently defended my PhD degree here, and now I'm on the stage to finish my recent key findings and then to find the postdoctoral opportunity to explore advanced batteries,” she said.
To those considering entering the world of energy storage research, she offers heartfelt advice: “I obtained my bachelor’s and master's degrees in organic chemistry, and this (the project) is totally chemical engineering. Of course, when I started, I was very afraid; this is a totally different area. However, of course, my knowledge in chemistry and organic chemistry helped me in that. I would advise not being afraid to start a new field and explore a new field because it also makes sense to learn something.”