Anode and cathode materials in Na-ion batteries (SIBs) often show a surprising charge storage behavior. This talk summarizes recent findings on using graphite/hard carbon, Sn-based alloys, and layered oxides/sulfides as electrode materials in SIBs. The chemical diversity can also be enlarged by using ethers instead of carbonates as solvents. In this case, reversible solvent co-intercalation is demonstrated for graphite (anode) and TiS2 (cathode). This allows the assembly of a Na-ion Cointercalation Battery (Na-CoIB), a concept recently suggested in Advanced Energy Materials, 2022, doi: 10.1002/aenm.202202377. Moreover, operando electrochemical dilatometry is shown to be a powerful tool to study electrode reactions especially when diffraction methods fail. The method can be also taken as an indicator for underpotential Na plating which can be an unexpected safety issue for hard carbon electrodes.

Avicenne Energy has done many studies on the market, technology and potential market fit for the emerging Sodium Ion Batteries. Sodium Ion battery companies will need to target markets and applications where this technology is competitive and has the service life required.

Tin and antimony-based anode materials are promising candidates considering their high capacity, low cost, environmental benignity and safety aspects. However, bare tin or antimony anodes undergo huge volume changes during the sodiation/desodiation reactions leading to poor cycle life. In this talk, various strategies to enhance the cycle life of tin and antimony-based anodes for Sodium-ion batteries will be discussed. High-energy ball milling of FeSn2 nanoparticles with carbon was found to dramatically improve the cycle life. Additionally, melt-spun Fe-Sb alloy ribbons exhibited better cycle life than pure Sb anodes. Furthermore, preliminary full-cell investigations to gauge the practical utility of the synthesized anode materials for Sodium-ion batteries will also be presented.

Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as an alternative to lithium-ion, with growing market interest driven by the combination of performance advantages for some applications with the opportunity to establish more stable and scalable supply chains. A wide variety of sodium-ion chemistries have either reached or will soon reach commercial production, with implications across motive, industrial and grid storage markets. This presentation reviews the current state-of-the-art for sodium-ion cells based on Prussian blue analogue, ceramic, and hard carbon anodes, as well as performance entitlements for each chemistry and the major remaining challenges in product development and manufacturing scale-up.

Sodium-ion-technology is one of the exciting candidate to replace lithium-ion. In this talk the limitations of the technology and the right type of application will be presented. Also difficulties in bringing this new technology to market, especially in timing, will be discussed.

In order to mitigate supply-chain risks, to eliminate the need for critical materials, and to provide hope for significant cost reductions, Na-ion-based cell technologies are increasingly gaining attention not only from ESS but also from automotive industry. Consequently, the question arises, whether, despite continuous developments, Li-ion technology will continue to dominate the market, or whether it could be replaced by new battery technologies like the Na-ion in the long term. This presentation will evaluate different Na-ion technology performances and market readiness compared to LIBs from an industrial perspective and highlight essential criteria that need to be fulfilled for significant market penetration in the automotive industry.

Li-ion battery high cost and Li-ion materials shortage (lithium, nickel, cobalt) lead to the need for alternative technologies. One of the promising solutions is Na-ion (sodium-ion batteries). We will review sodium-ion battery technology, its advantages, limitations, market status, main players, and our market projection for that technology.