SALIENT · SALIENT Sodium-ion AppLied materials Innovation for ENergy Technology

This project addresses the urgent need for sustainable energy storage solutions by developing a fully non-toxic sodium-ion battery (SIB). Current rechargeable battery technologies, led by lithium-ion and sodium-ion systems, face critical limitations due to toxic electrolyte salts, fluorinated binders, and cathode materials derived from scarce or hazardous elements. The proposed research aims to overcome these barriers by systematically eliminating halogenated components, carbonate-based solvents, and rare-earth/transition-metal-based cathodes, replacing them with environmentally responsible alternatives.The scientific objective is to engineer a high-capacity, safe, and scalable SIB that integrates: (i) sustainable binders (NaCMC, crosslinked Na-Alginate, chitosan), (ii) a conjugated organic cathode (PTCDA), and (iii) a gelled water-in-salt electrolyte (Gel-WISE) based on non-halogenated salts. This integrated approach will be validated against state-of-the-art (SOTA) benchmarks to ensure robust performance despite the inherent interdependence of electrolyte, electrode, and binder chemistries.The project’s pertinence lies in aligning sustainability with performance from the earliest design stages. Beyond advancing fundamental knowledge of green electrode–electrolyte interactions, the work fosters a European research framework for ethical and scalable battery innovation. By addressing sustainability challenges at the materials, processing, and system levels, the project is positioned to deliver a transformative contribution to the EU’s leadership in climate-resilient, zero-emission energy technologies.