Sodium-ion batteries for electrification of society: cradle to grave
Summary
Lithium-ion batteries dominate today’s energy storage market, but concerns around material scarcity, safety, carbon footprint and recyclability limit their long-term sustainability. This project tackles those challenges by advancing sodium-ion batteries as a safer, low-cost, and more abundant alternative—while addressing the technical, environmental and social barriers to adoption in Canada.
The work is structured around four interconnected areas: improving cell performance through materials science, optimizing pack design for peak shaving, grid support and remote applications, developing scalable, low-impact recycling processes, and analyzing social acceptance and sustainability using circularity and equity-based frameworks.
Led by a multidisciplinary team, the project will provide policymakers, industry and communities with the tools to embrace sodium-ion batteries as a viable solution for clean, resilient and equitable energy storage.
Key details
| Principal investigator | Lukas Swan, Dalhousie University |
| Co-principal investigators | Azadeh Kermanshahi-pour, Dalhousie University Jeff Dahn, Dalhousie University Khaled Benis, Dalhousie University Mark Obrovac, Dalhousie University Marc-Antoni Goulet, Concordia University Michael Metzger, Dalhousie University Penghao Xiao, Dalhousie University Philippe Gray, University of Calgary Stanley Asah, Dalhousie University Dominic Groulx, Dalhousie University Chongyin Yang, Dalhousie University |
| Research collaborators | Alexandra Mallett, Carleton University Andrew Henderson, ETS |
| Areas of Research | Battery and Energy Storage Technologies, Public Policy and Governance of Energy or Energy-related Technologies |
| Non-academic partners | Tesla, Peak Energy Inc, Surrette Battery Inc, Novonix Inc, Lab4 Inc, Wind Energy Institute of Canada, Behdzi Ahda First Nation, Defense Research and Development Canada |
Publications:
L. Zhang et al., “Towards a High-Performance Tin Anode for Practical Sodium-Ion Batteries,” J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 172, no. 10, p. 100506, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.1149/1945-7111/ae0969.
N. S. Pearre, A. Pimentel, and L. Swan, “Seasonality of Vertical Wind Shear in the Northwestern North Atlantic,” Wind Energy, vol. 28, no. 9, p. e70054, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.1002/we.70054.
M. C. Obialor et al., “Impact of Oxide Growth on Lead Negative Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries,” J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 172, no. 8, p. 080534, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1149/1945-7111/adfca3.
E. Oyekola, L. Swan, and J. R. Dahn, “Thermal modeling of a subterranean battery energy storage system for residential and commercial buildings,” Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 123, p. 116803, July 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.est.2025.116803.
M. D. L. Garayt, I. L. Monchesky, M. C. Obialor, S. Yu, J. R. Dahn, and M. Metzger, “Differential Voltage Analysis of Lead-Containing Sodium-Ion Full Cells,” J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 172, no. 8, p. 080513, July 2025, doi: 10.1149/1945-7111/adf5ec.
E. Oyekola et al., “Experimental Evaluation of Direct‐Burial Subterranean Battery Energy Storage System,” Energy Storage, vol. 7, no. 3, p. e70169, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1002/est2.70169.
H. Knowles, A. Swingler, and L. Swan, “Hybrid Battery and Sensible Thermal Energy Storage for a Microgrid in a Remote Indigenous Canadian Community,” Energy Storage, vol. 7, no. 3, p. e70165, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.1002/est2.70165.
C. White and L. G. Swan, “Spatial extrapolation of temperature measurements in second-life battery packs using simplified thermal network modelling,” Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 112, p. 115476, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.est.2025.115476.
Jeff Dahn: Eni Award, Eni, October 8, 2025.
Matthew Garayt: 2025 Electrochemical Society Battery Division Early Career Award for Michael Metzger, The Electrochemical Society, June 11, 2025.
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