Fraunhofer Battery AllianceSodium-ion technology offers a promising, competitive alternative to commercial lithium-ion batteries for various applications. Sodium-ion batteries offer advantages in terms of sustainability as well as readily available and environmentally friendly raw materials. They also score highly in terms of safety and temperature resilience.
Both the functional principle and the manufacturing and process chains are almost identical to those of the well-known lithium-ion technology. For this reason, sodium-ion batteries are referred to as a drop-in technology – a high entry-level technology readiness level (TRL) therefore enables promising application scenarios in the future.
With their long-standing expertise, the Fraunhofer institutes can contribute from the lowest to the highest TRL in sodium-ion development. The focus here is on the development of active materials, process technologies and component production through to cell assembly. In addition, “design for recycling” concepts and sustainability aspects are also considered across all levels. Another focus is on drop-in capability, the adaptation of existing process technologies to an industrial scale and their market potential, as well as techno-economic assessments and European technology independence.