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SOLID STATE BATTERIES

Sodium is the new lithium

Nature Energy volume 7, pages 686–687 (2022)Cite this article

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In the intensive search for novel battery architectures, the spotlight is firmly on solid-state lithium batteries. Now, a strategy based on solid-state sodium–sulfur batteries emerges, making it potentially possible to eliminate scarce materials such as lithium and transition metals.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) — where the liquid electrolyte is replaced with a solid ionic conductor — are at the forefront of developing post-lithium-ion batteries1. Currently, lithium-based ionic conductors and transition metal-based cathodes are the primary focus in the development of SSBs. However, sustainable energy storage solutions require materials that are more abundant and less socially critical than lithium and transition metals.

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Fig. 1: Oxysulfide glass enabling the use of Na metal anode in solid-state sodium–sulfur batteries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    S. Ohno

  2. Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Münster (WWU), Münster, Germany

    W. G. Zeier

  3. Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Münster, Germany

    W. G. Zeier

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  1. S. Ohno
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  2. W. G. Zeier
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Correspondence to S. Ohno or W. G. Zeier.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ohno, S., Zeier, W.G. Sodium is the new lithium. Nat Energy 7, 686–687 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01084-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01084-9

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