As concerns about the availability of mineral resources
for lithium-ion
batteries (LIBs) arise and demands for large-scale energy storage
systems rapidly increase, non-LIB technologies have been extensively
explored as low-cost alternatives. Among the various candidates, sodium-ion
batteries (SIBs) have been the most widely studied, as they avoid
the use of expensive and less abundant elements such as lithium, cobalt,
and nickel while also sharing similar operating principles with LIBs.
In this Perspective, we discuss why SIBs hold great promise and can
act as competitors to lithium-ion technology. In addition, the remaining
challenges and future research directions are highlighted, focusing
on cathode developments and the use of SIBs in large-scale applications,
including electric vehicles and stationary energy storage.