A super-fast charging sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery that can charge up to 80 per cent in just six minutes and claims to last over 3,000 charge cycles, nearly comparable with the more ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries. This is a breakthrough claimed by a research team at the Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, and is being touted as yet another promising step in India\u2019s efforts at nurturing an alternative to the lithium-ion chemistry \u2014 the most common element in battery manufacturing where China has a virtual stranglehold. Beijing controls the global lithium-ion battery supply chain as well as the world\u2019s lithium refining capacity used for battery storage and electric cars, and now has two of the biggest li-ion battery makers \u2014 CATL and BYD.<\/p>\n
Developed by a JNCASR team led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and Ph.D. scholar Biplab Patra, the new battery is based on a \u2018NASICON-type\u2019 chemistry, a class of polyanionic materials with a known structure in electrochemical materials, but with a significantly enhanced performance claim using novel material engineering. Unlike conventional sodium-ion batteries that suffer from sluggish charging and short lifespans, this new battery uses a smart mix of chemistry and nanotechnology to<\/strong> demonstrate a significantly lower charge time and more charge cycles.<\/p>\n In an earlier interaction with The Indian Express, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Ajay Kumar Sood had stressed on the need for India to look beyond the lithium chemistry for batteries and how sodium ion was already an option. \u201cMultiple technologies (is the way forward)\u2026 In the case of EVs, I don\u2019t think that lithium chemistry (for batteries) is the end of the world\u2026 Other electro chemistries have to be tried, and are being tried\u2026 Solid, solid state batteries are the ultimate, in my view, because they\u2019ll be the safest, and energy density will be the highest, but there you still have some R&D issues, so it\u2019s still not commercial yet\u2026 But that\u2019s where we should work. Fully solid state batteries, where the electrolyte is also solid. But sodium ion batteries are already an option. It\u2019s happening\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple players<\/strong><\/p>\n There is more promising work in the sodium ion battery tech that is happening in India. In February this year, Pune-based KPIT Technologies and Trentar Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd, a company targeting the electrical mobility and energy storage space, announced a collaboration on sodium-ion battery technology. Under this, KPIT said it will transfer its new sodium-ion battery technology \u2014 which it claims has an extended lifespan (80 per cent capacity retention over 3,000-6,000 cycles), and faster charging capability than lithium batteries \u2014 to Trentar Energy Solutions. The latter will operationalise and commercialise the technology further. Earlier, in May 2023, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay claimed a breakthrough in developing sodium-ion batteries by addressing the challenges of air-water instability and structural-cum-electrochemical instability in cathode materials.<\/p>\n While lithium is the more common element being used in rechargeable battery manufacturing, the stranglehold of China in this sector is a cause for worry, especially given Beijing\u2019s willingness to weaponise its dominance over particular technologies. Its Li-ion dominance notwithstanding, Chinese companies are also stepping up their play in the sodium ion chemistry. CATL, the world\u2019s biggest battery maker that supplies Li-ion batteries to Tesla and GM, has said it will mass-produce by the end of 2025 its patented \u2018Naxtra\u2019 sodium-ion battery packs that would enable an electric vehicle to travel up to 500 km on a single charge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A super-fast charging sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery that can charge up to 80 per cent in just six minutes and claims to last over 3,000 charge cycles, nearly comparable with the more ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries. This is a breakthrough claimed by a research team at the Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5755,"featured_media":1201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,45,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-news","category-development","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\n