Lithium ion battery is now the most widely used chemical power supply, but also presents a very rapid development trend. However, a variety of lithium-ion batteries because of the characteristics of the material has its own shortcomings in one respect. The sodium is easy to move in and out of multiple directions, so that the flow of electricity between the electrodes more smoothly. Although faced with large capacity and other practical issues, but the impression is that sodium is likely to become the protagonist of a new generation of batteries. Scientists at the Ningbo Institute of materials science and engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, based on the characteristics of two elements of lithium and sodium, made a better performance of Li ion batteries.

Different from the traditional principle of lithium ion battery "rocking chair", this kind of battery during charging and discharging, lithium ions and sodium ions were only moved between the pole and the electrolyte battery. The battery can not only store electric energy, but also has the function of separating metal ions". That is to say, in line with the movement and electrolyte in lithium sodium ion battery integrated motion mode of lithium battery and sodium ion battery, a battery integrated into each acts in his own way in the body.

In theory, lithium and sodium is kind of element in the periodic table, it had similar chemical properties, it is difficult to separate. Lithium and sodium ions can be separated and stored by using lithium ion mixed ion battery technology. Compared with other chemical methods, the separation technique is more efficient and green, so it has an important application prospect in large scale separation of lithium and sodium elements in seawater or brine. The development of lithium ion batteries, especially lithium batteries, has led to a growing worldwide demand for lithium. According to statistics, by 2012, 83% of the world's lithium is extracted from the sea or brine, so the development of new and effective separation technology imminent. The appearance of Li ion battery provides a new idea for the development of large-scale power battery, and also provides a new opportunity for the development of separation technology.