Battery Material for the Sodium-ion Revolution
Prussian white, a "chemical relative" of the well-known colour Prussian blue, is essentially based on sodium, iron and manganese. "It can be used as an energy storage material at the cathode, i.e. the positive pole of a sodium-ion battery," says Sebastian Büchele from the Institute for Applied Materials at KIT and founder of Litona. "Such batteries are inexpensive and all the raw materials they contain are widely available. I am convinced that we will soon be able to use them en masse in electric vehicles and grid storage systems." However, the question is who will produce them. The European industry is facing a major problem here. "It is currently difficult even for research institutions to procure sufficient quantities of Prussian white. Hardly any company in Europe produces it," reports the scientist. "Research into and transfer of the pioneering sodium-ion technology is extremely slowed down as a result."
Prussian white for mass production
As Büchele also wanted to research sodium-ion technology, he decided to synthesise Prussian white himself. This work not only produced a high-quality cathode material at KIT, but also an innovative process for its production. With the aim of serving a larger market, he founded the start-up Litona together with chemist Tom Bötticher. "Competitors had problems scaling up the production of Prussian white analogues," says Büchele. "We believe that we have solved these. We have also developed methods to further valorise our material."
Opportunity for the European industry
Litona used the KIT infrastructure to validate the scaling steps and optimise the material for use in next-generation batteries. In the meantime, however, the two founders are already working on setting up their own state-of-the-art production facility. "We deliberately chose Germany as a location," emphasises co-founder Bötticher. "We believe in the potential of European battery production. When it comes to lithium-ion batteries, Asia has been ahead in recent years. Sodium-ion technology is now a huge opportunity for a new start in Europe. We don't just want to sit back and watch."
Litona at the Hannover Messe 2024
The start-up Litona will be exhibiting at this year's Hannover Messe from 22 to 26 April at the KIT stand in the "Energy Solutions" section (Hall 13, Stand C76).
About Litona
Litona was founded in August 2023 with the aim of supplying the European industry with sodium-ion energy storage materials. However, the young company does not want to rule out developing its own sodium-ion batteries in the future. The founders are currently in talks with well-known investors from the deep tech scene.
Further information: www.litona-batteries.de
Details on the KIT Energy Centre: https://www.energie.kit.edu
Contact for this press release:
Dr Martin Heidelberger, Press Officer, Tel.: +49 721 608-41169, e-mail: martin.heidelberger@kit.edu