Teaming Up for Greener Batteries
 

TAKEAWAYS:

• Industry Collaboration: The Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces is partnering with Australian–British battery manufacturer Gelion to optimize sodium–sulfur batteries for market use.
• Improved Battery Performance: ScSulfur–carbon nanomaterials developed at the Institute significantly enhance the lifespan and energy density of sodium–sulfur batteries.
• FResearch Funding and Patents: Under the agreement, Gelion will support research with €600,000 and receive exclusive licenses for resulting patents.

Sodium–Sulfur Batteries: A Promising Path to Greener Energy Storage

The energy transition relies on renewable sources like solar and wind, but their power generation is unpredictable and doesn’t always align with demand. Sodium–sulfur batteries could provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for storing renewable electricity and releasing it reliably when needed. To date, their limited lifespan has hindered widespread adoption. A team led by Markus Antonietti, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, has developed a new cathode material made from sulfur and carbon that significantly extends battery durability and boosts overall performance.

A Partnership that Supports Research and Industry

To bring these sulfur-carbon materials into broad industrial use, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces has entered into a strategic partnership with Gelion, a battery manufacturer based in Australia and the UK. “We’re excited to partner with Gelion to bring our breakthrough sulfur battery technology to market,” said Antonietti. “Together, we aim to deliver affordable, sustainable, and high-performance energy solutions to meet global needs.”

As part of the agreement, Gelion will provide €600,000 in research funding over three years and receive exclusive licenses for any resulting patents. Antonietti will also serve as an advisor to Gelion, supporting the development and refinement of sodium–sulfur batteries. The collaboration may also create career opportunities for researchers trained at the Max Planck Institute, fostering a dynamic talent pipeline. “This marks the beginning of a long but promising journey—from coin-sized lab prototypes to large-scale stationary batteries that could eventually replace conventional lithium-based systems,” Antonietti explained.

Tackling Battery Degradation with Nanoporous Carbon Materials

Lithium-ion batteries remain the gold standard in energy storage, but lithium is a limited resource, and its extraction, processing, and disposal come with heavy environmental costs. Sodium and sulfur, by contrast, are abundant, inexpensive, and far less harmful to the environment. Sodium can be sourced from seawater or salt mines, while sulfur is a byproduct of oil and gas refining.

The main technical obstacle for sodium–sulfur batteries has been "polysulfide shuttling"— where soluble polysulfides move between electrodes, reducing their performance and lifespan. Antonietti’s lab tackled the issue by designing nanostructured sulfur–carbon materials with an ultraporous architecture that effectively traps polysulfides. In testing, batteries made with these materials retained 80% of their original capacity even after 1,500 charge–discharge cycles. Remarkably, over 99% of the sulfur is used for energy storage, significantly boosting the battery’s energy density.

“Sulfur has always been about high energy density but struggled with power and cycle life,” noted John Wood, CEO of Gelion. “By merging Gelion’s and MPI’s approaches, we are now demonstrating the potential to provide all three characteristics in one cell.”

Scaling Up with Prototypes

Although Gelion’s initial focus was on lithium–sulfur technology, the company is now actively expanding into sodium–sulfur systems. It is currently developing a prototype battery that’s 100 times larger than the coin-sized version built in the Max Planck lab.

“The combined capabilities of Gelion and the MPI are exceptional,” said Thomas Maschmeyer, founder and director of Gelion, “and can deliver cheap and safe energy storage with highly attractive performance characteristics based on some of the most abundant and well-distributed elements imaginable – carbon, sodium and sulfur.”