A Breakthrough in Sodium-Based Solid-State Batteries Signals a Turning Point for Energy Storage

For years, sodium-based batteries have existed on the margins of energy storage research—promising in theory, yet constrained in practice. While lithium-ion batteries continue to dominate commercial markets, their reliance on a limited lithium resource has raised long-term concerns around cost, supply security, and sustainability. Sodium, by contrast, is abundant and widely distributed, making it an attractive candidate for next-generation batteries and large-scale energy storage solutions.

A recent breakthrough in sodium-based solid-state battery design suggests that this long-standing imbalance may finally be shifting. Published in Joule and highlighted by researchers at the University of Chicago, the study introduces a new approach to all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries, addressing fundamental limitations in ion transport, stability, and temperature performance that have historically limited sodium-based systems.

Why Sodium Batteries Have Historically Fallen Short

The strength of sodium-ion batteries lies in their material availability and potential for lower cost compared to lithium-based systems. However, sodium chemistries have struggled to achieve competitive energy density and specific energy, particularly in solid-state configurations.

The challenge here is its ionic conductivity. Sodium ions are larger than lithium ions and move less efficiently through many solid electrolytes, resulting in high activation energy for ion transport and poor performance at room temperature. In many cases, sodium solid-state systems require elevated operating temperatures, increasing system complexity and undermining safety advantages such as reduced risk of thermal runaway.

The Key Insight Behind the Discovery

What sets this work apart is its treatment of a previously overlooked metastable structure within a sodium solid electrolyte. This material exhibits exceptionally high Na⁺ ionic conductivity, but was long considered impractical due to limited electrochemical stability.

Rather than avoiding this instability, the researchers applied a stabilization strategy grounded in molecular engineering, enabling the electrolyte to function reliably within full cells. This reframing of metastability opens new possibilities for researchers working with sodium-ion battery materials and equipment, particularly in solid-state architectures.

Image from Oh, Jin An Sam et al. Joule, Volume 9, Issue 10, 102130

Why Temperature Performance Is a Defining Advance

One of the most consequential outcomes of this research is the electrolyte’s ability to sustain performance across a wide temperature range. The stabilized solid-state electrolytes maintain efficient ion transport from room temperature down to subzero conditions, without requiring external heating.

This capability is critical for real-world energy storage applications, where batteries must operate reliably outside controlled laboratory environments. By reducing thermal constraints, the discovery strengthens the case for sodium-ion battery electrolyte materials as practical components in all-solid-state battery (ASSB) systems.

Enabling Thicker Electrodes and Higher Energy Density

High ionic conductivity provides a critical design advantage: thick cathodes. In conventional battery designs, increasing electrode thickness often leads to transport limitations. In this work, the improved sodium-ion transport mitigates those effects, allowing higher areal capacity without sacrificing electrochemical performance.

This flexibility directly impacts how sodium-ion battery cathode materials and sodium-ion battery anode materials can be paired and optimized, improving overall energy density at the cell level.

Implications Beyond a Single Battery System

Beyond performance gains, this discovery carries broader implications for solid-state battery research. It demonstrates that ion transport limitations are not always dictated by chemistry alone, but by how metastable phases, transport channels, and interfacial behavior are managed within an electrolyte system.

This insight is likely to influence future development of sodium solid electrolytes and reshape how researchers evaluate materials once dismissed due to perceived instability.

What This Means for the Future of Sodium Batteries

Sodium-based batteries are unlikely to replace lithium-ion systems across all applications. However, discoveries like this strengthen sodium’s role as a complementary technology for cost-sensitive and large-scale energy storage solutions.

As research advances toward practical full solid-state battery (SSB) configurations, reliable validation will remain essential. Continued progress depends on access to dependable battery research tools and consumables that support reproducibility, performance testing, and scale-up.

New research from the lab of UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering Y. Shirley Meng raises the benchmark for sodium-based all-solid-state batteries as an alternative to lithium-based batteries. (UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering / John Zich)

Final Thoughts

This breakthrough represents more than a technical milestone—it marks a shift in how sodium-based solid-state batteries are evaluated and developed. By overcoming fundamental barriers related to ionic transport and temperature stability, the research brings practical sodium energy storage closer to reality.

For researchers advancing next-generation battery technologies, MSE Supplies supports sodium-ion research with specialized materials and tools aligned with evolving battery architectures and performance demands. To discuss your research needs or explore sodium battery solutions, call us to speak with a technical specialist, or follow MSE Supplies on LinkedIn for updates on emerging battery research, materials innovation, and new product releases.

Sources: 

1. Oh, J. a. S., Yu, Z., Huang, C., Ridley, P., Liu, A., Zhang, T., Hwang, B. J., Griffith, K. J., Ong, S. P., & Meng, Y. S. (2025). Metastable sodium closo-hydridoborates for all-solid-state batteries with thick cathodes. Joule, 9(10), 102130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102130

2. Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design. (2025, September 17). Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering | the University of Chicago. https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/breakthrough-advances-sodium-based-battery-design