What is a sodium ion battery

Nowadays, there are a wide variety of battery types, and from the perspective of material systems, lithium ions occupy an absolute dominant position. However, due to the bottleneck caused by the performance of lithium-ion batteries, the research on other materials has become increasingly urgent.

Among them, sodium ion batteries, as an emerging energy storage technology, have gradually become a research and application hotspot due to their abundant resources and low cost advantages. This article will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant knowledge of sodium ion batteries and explore their potential and application prospects in the field of modern energy.

Definition of Sodium Ion Battery

Sodium ion battery is a rechargeable battery that uses sodium ions to move between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery to store and release energy. Similar to lithium-ion batteries, sodium ion batteries rely on the insertion and extraction of sodium ions in the positive and negative electrode materials to achieve charging and discharging.

History and Development

The concept of sodium ion batteries can be traced back to the 1970s, but due to the active chemical properties of sodium, its research progress has been relatively slow. Until recent years, with the advancement of materials science, especially the development of new electrode materials, the performance of sodium ion batteries has been significantly improved.

Early research stage (1970s-1990s)

The research on sodium ion batteries began in the 1970s, when researchers began exploring various ions as charge carriers for batteries. Due to the abundance and low cost of sodium, some scientists have begun to pay attention to the electrochemical properties of sodium ions. In the late 1970s to 1980s, research mainly focused on the basic electrochemical properties of sodium ions and material screening, exploring suitable positive and negative electrode materials. However, due to the excellent performance of lithium-ion batteries in terms of energy density and cycle life, research on sodium ion batteries has been stagnant for a while.

Material exploration stage (1990s to early 2010s)

In the 1990s to early 2010s, despite the rapid development of lithium-ion battery technology, research on sodium ion batteries did not completely stop. Researchers continue to explore suitable positive and negative electrode materials, accumulating knowledge in key technologies and materials


Positive electrode materials: Early research mainly focused on layered oxide materials such as sodium nickel oxide (NaNiO2) and sodium manganese oxide (NaMnO2), which exhibit excellent sodium ion insertion/extraction performance.

Negative electrode material: Hard carbon is considered an ideal negative electrode material for sodium ion batteries due to its high specific capacity and good cycling stability. In addition, some studies have explored the possibility of titanium based materials and tin based alloys as negative electrode materials.

Technological breakthroughs and performance improvements (mid-2010s)

In the mid-2010s, with the rise in lithium resource prices and the increasing demand for alternative energy storage technologies, sodium ion batteries regained widespread attention. A series of technological breakthroughs have driven the improvement of sodium ion battery performance:

New positive electrode materials: Scientists have developed various new positive electrode materials, such as sodium iron phosphate (NaFePO4), sodium manganese nickel oxide (NaMn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3O2), and Prussian blue compounds (such as Na2FeFe (CN) 6), which exhibit higher specific capacity and better cycling stability.

Advanced negative electrode materials: In terms of negative electrode materials, the performance of hard carbon has been further optimized, and some new materials such as phosphorus, tin, and antimony based materials have also demonstrated good sodium storage performance.

Electrolyte and separator: Researchers have developed more stable electrolytes and high-performance separators, improving the overall safety and efficiency of batteries.

Commercial exploration and preliminary application (late 2010s to early 2020s)

From the late 2010s to the early 2020s, research on sodium ion batteries gradually shifted from the laboratory to industrialization. Several leading battery manufacturers and research institutions have begun exploring the commercial applications of sodium ion batteries:

Large scale energy storage

Sodium ion batteries have shown significant advantages in the field of large-scale energy storage. In 2019, French battery manufacturer Saft announced the development of sodium ion based energy storage solutions for the storage and peak shaving of renewable energy.

Electric transportation vehicles

Some low-speed electric vehicles and electric bicycles have begun to try using sodium ion batteries, although lithium-ion batteries are still the main choice in applications with high energy density requirements.

Portable electronic devices

Although the application of sodium ion batteries in portable electronic devices is still in the exploratory stage, their low cost and environmental characteristics make them promising in specific markets.