The growing global demand for sustainable and cost-effective energy storage systems has exposed key limitations in current lithium-ion battery (LIB) technologies—namely, resource scarcity, high costs, and safety concerns. Our high-entropy sodium-ion battery (HE-SIB) addresses these issues by replacing lithium with sodium, an abundant and low-cost alternative, while incorporating high-entropy materials into the cathode and anode to enhance performance, stability, and scalability.

The primary problem our design solves is the performance gap between lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. Traditional sodium-ion batteries typically suffer from lower energy densities, poor cycling stability, and sluggish ion transport, limiting their commercial viability. By introducing high-entropy materials—complex compounds composed of five or more metal elements in near-equal proportions—we enhance the structural stability, phase uniformity, and ionic conductivity of the electrode materials. This results in improved capacity retention, thermal stability, and rate performance.

The benefits of this innovation are substantial. First, sodium is far more abundant and geographically accessible than lithium, reducing geopolitical and supply chain risks. Second, high-entropy materials are inherently more thermally and chemically stable, improving safety and extending battery life. Third, the use of high-entropy cathodes and high-entropy anodes boosts energy density without significantly increasing costs.

Our design works by leveraging a high-entropy cathode, which facilitates rapid and reversible sodium-ion intercalation due to its open framework and multi-metal composition. The anode is a high-entropy oxide, which provides a stable host for sodium storage while mitigating volume expansion—an issue that plagues many anode materials. Between these electrodes, a sodium-conducting electrolyte ensures efficient ion transport. The high-entropy architecture of both electrodes leads to uniform ion diffusion pathways, resistance to structural degradation, and suppression of unwanted phase transitions.

This concept is novel because no commercially available sodium-ion battery currently integrates high-entropy materials on both electrodes. Most existing designs rely on conventional layered oxides or carbon-based anodes, which offer limited performance. By contrast, our design pushes the boundaries of entropy engineering in battery chemistry, enabling new material synergies and higher tolerance to cycling-induced stress.

Applications for HE-SIBs include grid-scale energy storage, renewable energy integration, electric buses, and stationary backup systems where cost and safety are more critical than size. Their resilience and scalability make them ideal for use in emerging economies and remote areas with limited infrastructure.
The market potential is significant. As renewable energy adoption accelerates, the global battery market is projected to exceed $150 billion by 2030, with sodium-ion batteries capturing a growing share due to material accessibility. Our technology could command interest from utilities, EV manufacturers, and government energy programs.

Manufacturing would leverage existing LIB production lines with modest modifications, allowing rapid scaling. High-entropy materials can be synthesized via spray pyrolysis, sol-gel, or solid-state methods—established, scalable techniques.

In terms of cost, our design offers a 30–50% reduction in raw material costs compared to LIBs, owing to the elimination of cobalt and lithium. Combined with comparable performance and superior safety, this positions HE-SIBs as a compelling and disruptive alternative in the energy storage market.