Empowering Energy Storage Technology: Recent Breakthroughs and Advancement in Sodium-Ion Batteries

Energy storage devices have become indispensable for smart and clean energy systems. During the past three decades, lithium-ion battery technologies have grown tremendously and have been exploited for the best energy storage system in portable electronics as well as electric vehicles. However, extensive use and limited abundance of lithium have made researchers explore sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) as an alternative to lithium. Throughout the past few years, the rapid progression of sodium-ion batteries has represented a noteworthy advancement in the field of energy storage technologies. This review discusses recent advancements in SIBs, focusing on methodologies to improve the performance of cathode and anode materials, the evolution of electrolytes toward solvent-free electrolytes, and advancements in fast-charging and low-temperature SIBs. This work also highlights some methodologies that have empowered the electrochemical performance of sodium-ion batteries in the past five years. It also concludes some emerging routes to enhance the overall performance of sodium-ion batteries, leading to a comparable performance with Li-ion batteries for future research.