by Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) is a promising alternative to lithium batteries, with lower costs and abundant raw materials. The technology can address a broad range of energy storage applications, including stationary grid-scale and electric vehicles. SIB cathodes typically use hard carbon, a disordered form of carbon that can store sodium ions better than crystalline graphite. They also employ layered oxide cathode chemistries that replace more expensive cobalt, nickel, and lithium with iron and magnesium.
Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) is emerging as an alternative to lithium-ion variants for stationary energy storage applications. They are non-flammable and operate well in cold temperatures. They are also less dependent on scarce elements, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. However, NIBs have lower energy density than LIBs. This limits their onboard energy storage capacity, which affects driving range. Furthermore, repeated charging and discharging degrades the anode.
The Sodium-Ion Battery Market is a burgeoning sector within the renewable energy storage industry. As the world seeks cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions, researchers and manufacturers are turning to sodium-ion batteries as a viable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. These innovative batteries utilize sodium ions as the charge carriers, offering numerous advantages that make them an attractive option for a wide range of applications.
The Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) uses the same working principle as lithium-ion batteries, whereas it replaces lithium with sodium. Sodium ions move through the electrolyte, which is a liquid solution made from salts and solvents. The anode is made of hard carbon, and cathodes are typically based on polyanionic compounds or Prussian blue analogs. Unlike lithium, sodium is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, which may reduce production costs compared to LIBs which require rarer and more expensive materials.
However Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries, which limits their driving range. Moreover, the slower charging speeds may hamper their adoption in electric vehicle applications that require frequent and quick refueling. Nevertheless, the technology offers several advantages over lithium-ion batteries, including safer operation and faster charging speeds in cold environments.
With their long cycle life and imperviousness to temperature changes, sodium batteries are suitable for use in light-duty electric vehicles and grid energy storage applications. Their nonflammable solid electrolyte is also fire-extinguishing, making them safer than lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. The main advantage of a Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) made from sodium is that it uses abundant and safe materials. Unlike lithium, which requires rare and expensive metals, sodium uses iron and manganese. Moreover, the cost of extracting and processing sodium is much lower.
Currently, companies that develop sodium batteries are focused on improving their energy density and cycle life. The rising demand for electric vehicles is driving companies to look into alternative battery technologies that are not as costly as lithium-ion batteries. One such technology is Sodium-Ion Battery (NIBs).
Sodium-ion batteries use sodium as the charge carrier instead of lithium in the electrolyte. The electrolyte is the circulating “blood” that keeps the energy flowing between the battery’s positive and negative electrodes. While the current generation of NIBs still has lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries, they have room to improve through cell and electrode design optimization. They also work well in cold temperatures and can handle multiple charge/discharge cycles. CATL and HiNa are among several companies that plan to use NIBs in EVs. However, they have not released production timelines or specifics about their battery products.
Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) can also be used for grid-scale energy storage to help stabilize power supplies and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This makes them a viable solution for countries with ambitious carbon reduction targets. They work on the same basic principle as lithium-ion batteries – using mobile ions to conduct an electric current between an anode and a cathode. The main differences are the anode active material, electrolyte, and separator. PNNL researchers have recently improved the durability of SIBs, doubling their number of charging cycles in coin-sized cells. They did this by changing the liquid solution and type of salt flowing through the battery to create a new electrolyte recipe. This enabled the battery to hold a 90% capacity after 300 cycles.
Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemicals and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc.
