Presentation Title: Recent Advances in Cathode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries: R&D Progress, Market Competition, and the Application of Niobium

Abstract: 

     Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been commercially applied in start-stop power supplies, electric two-wheelers, and stationary energy storage systems, owing to their cost-effectiveness and operating mechanism analogous to that of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, SIB cathode materials primarily comprise transition metal oxides, Prussian blue analogs, and polyanionic compounds. This presentation will outline the latest R&D progress and technical challenges associated with each material class, followed by an analysis of their competitive advantages over lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and traditional lead-acid batteries. Additionally, the talk will highlight recent advances and practical application prospects concerning the role of niobium in enhancing the performance of sodium-ion batteries.

Biography: 

      Dr. Yongyao Xia is a Distinguished Professor at Fudan University and Chief Scientist at Shanghai Puna Energy Technology Co., Ltd. He received a PhD degree in Energy-Related-Material Science in Saga University, Japan in 1997 and joined the Department of Chemistry at Fudan University in 2003. His research interests include advanced materials, technologies, and reaction mechanisms for energy storage and conversion devices, such as lithium/sodium-ion batteries, electrochemical supercapacitors, and new battery systems. He has published more than 500 papers, with an H-index of 111. He has been a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher for 2017–2025. He is a Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) and serves as Associate Editor for Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica and ACS Applied Engineering Materials. He received the Battery Division Technology Award of The Electrochemical Society (ECS) in 2018, and the Technology Award of the International Battery Materials Association (IBA) in 2019. He served as an editor of Journal of Power Sources from 2015 to 2024. He was President of the Chinese Society of Electrochemistry (CSE) from 2015 to 2022.