Topic summary
Sodium-ion battery
A sodium-ion battery (NIB, SIB, or Na-ion battery) is a rechargeable battery that uses sodiumions (Na) as charge carriers. In some cases, its working principle and cell construction are similar to those of lithium-ion battery (LIB) types, but different in that the battery is manufactured with sodium instead of lithium as the intercalatingion. Sodium belongs to the same group in the periodic table as lithium and thus has similar chemical properties; the term 'SIB' likewise describes a family of different chemistries. However, designs such as aqueous batteries are quite different from LIBs.
SIBs received academic and commercial interest in the 2010s and early 2020s, largely due to lithium's high cost, uneven geographic distribution, and environmentally damaging extraction process. Unlike lithium, sodium is abundant, particularly in saltwater. Further, cobalt, copper, and nickel are not required for many types of sodium-ion batteries as they are in Lithium batteries, and abundant iron-based materials (such as NaFeO
2 with the redox pair) work well in batteries. This is because the ionic radius of Na (116 pm) is substantially larger than that of Fe and Fe (69–92 pm depending on the spin state), whereas the ionic radius of Li is similar (90 pm). Similar ionic radii of lithium and iron allow them to mix in the cathode during battery cycling, costing cyclable charge. A downside of the larger ionic radius of Na is slower intercalation kinetics.
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The modern development of Na
batteries for production started in the 1990s. Companies such as HiNa and CATL in China, Faradion in the United Kingdom, Tiamat in France, Northvolt in Sweden, and Natron Energy in the US, claimed to be close to commercialization, employing (Na
xTMO
2), Prussian white (a Prussian blue analogue) or vanadium phosphate as cathode materials.
Sodium-ion accumulators are operational for fixed electrical grid storage, and vehicles with sodium-ion battery packs are commercially available for light scooters made by Yadea, which use HuaYu sodium-ion battery technology.