Solid State and Materials Chemistry for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

Room‐temperature rechargeable sodium‐ion batteries that parallel current commercial lithium‐ion batteries are being prototyped at various laboratories across the world. Although high‐temperature sodium‐based cells have been commercially realized, the development of room‐temperature sodium‐ion batteries needs to compete with lithium‐ion batteries. The perceived use is in energy storage for larger scale applications, and the advantage stems from the cost savings attainable. The realization of such technologies requires the development of materials and an understanding of function. This article provides a background to the development of sodium‐ion batteries from a materials and inorganic chemistry centric view. The electrodes, electrolyte, our understanding of mechanism, and some of the state‐of‐the‐art tools and methods are discussed in this work. This article is designed to provide the necessary framework for chemists to understand the field and determine how they can contribute to the development of sodium‐ion batteries.