Indian Scientists Design Fast-Charging and Long-Lasting Sodium-Ion Battery

In a world racing towards clean energy, batteries have become extremely significant as they provide a portable and reliable energy source. From electric cars to solar panels, batteries allow devices to function without being plugged into the power grid.

While lithium-ion batteries have powered this revolution so far, they are costly and have environmental impacts. Besides, lithium resources are limited and geopolitically constrained.

Scientists in Bengaluru may have just found a powerful alternative.

A research team at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has developed a super-fast charging sodium-ion battery (SIB) based on a NASICON-type cathode and anode material, that can charge up to 80% in just six minutes and last over 3000 charge cycles.

Unlike conventional sodium-ion batteries that suffer from sluggish charging and short lifespans, this new battery uses a clever mix of chemistry and nanotechnology.

The scientists led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and Ph.D. scholar Biplab Patra, engineered a novel material for the anode—Na₁.₀V₀.₂₅Al₀.₂₅Nb₁.₅(PO₄)₃—and optimized it in three critical ways, shrinking the particles to nanoscale, wrapping them in a thin carbon coat, and improving the anode material by adding a small amount of aluminium.  

These tweaks made sodium ions move faster and more safely, enabling speed and durability.

Fig: (left) An illustration of a Fast charging sodium ion battery ; (right) Researchers of this discovery – Mr. Biplab Patra (Ph.D student, JNCASR) and Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan, Associate Professor, JNCASR

Sodium is cheap and abundantly available in India, unlike lithium, which is scarce and largely imported.

A battery built on sodium instead of lithium could help the country to become self-reliant in energy storage technology, a key goal of the Indian government’s self-sufficiency (Atmanirbhar Bharat) mission.

Beyond just financial cost, these sodium-ion batteries offer a promising energy storage solution that could power everything from electric vehicles and solar grids to drones and rural homes, making clean energy accessible where it’s needed the most.

The technology has been tested and validated through high-end methods, including electrochemical cycling and quantum simulations. What makes it especially exciting is that it not only supports rapid charging but also avoids the fire and degradation risks of traditional batteries.

While more development is needed before these batteries hit the market, the discovery marks a significant step forward. Peers in the scientific community have begun to take notice, and with continued support, India can play a major role in green battery technology.