First Look at Safety and Performance Evaluation of Commercial Sodium-Ion Batteries

Rachel Carter (), Gordon H. Waller, Connor Jacob, Dillon Hayman, Patrick J. West and Corey T. Love
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Rachel Carter: Chemistry Division, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
Gordon H. Waller: Chemistry Division, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
Connor Jacob: Excet, Inc., A Precise Systems Company, Springfield, VA 22150, USA
Dillon Hayman: Excet, Inc., A Precise Systems Company, Springfield, VA 22150, USA
Patrick J. West: ASEE/NRL Postdoctoral Associate, Washington, DC 20375, USA
Corey T. Love: Chemistry Division, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Herein, we investigate the performance and safety of four of the early-stage, commercial Na-ion batteries available in 2024, representing the most popular cathode types across research and commercialization: polyanion (Na-VPF), layered metal oxide (Na-NMF), and a Prussian blue analog (Na-tmCN). The cells deliver a wide range of energy density with Na-tmCN delivering the least (23 Wh/kg) and Na-NMF delivering the most (127 Wh/kg). The Na-VPF cell was in between (47 Wg/kg). Capacity retention under specified cycling conditions and with periodic 0 V excursions was the most robust for the Na-tmCN cells in both cases. Accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) and nail penetration testing finds that Na-NMF cells do undergo thermal runaway in response to abuse, while the Na-VPF and Na-tmCN exhibit only low self-heating rates (<1 °C/min). During these safety tests, all cells exhibited off-gassing, so we conducted in-line FTIR equipped with a heated gas cell to detect CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , toxic acid gases (HCN, HF, NH 3 ), and typical electrolyte components (carbonate ester solvents). Gases similar to those detected during Li-ion failures were found in addition to HCN for the Na-tmCN cell. Our work compares different types of commercial Na-ion batteries for the first time, allowing for a more holistic comparison of the safety and performance tradeoffs for different Na-ion cathode types emerging in 2024.

Keywords: sodium-ion battery; accelerated rate calorimetry; safety testing; commercial cells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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