China’s Battery Breakthrough Could Challenge Lithium-Ion Dominance

Researchers have been exploring the use of different technologies to improve battery storage as part of the race to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and shift away from fossil fuels. While lithium-ion batteries have significant potential to support utility-scale energy storage, their heavy reliance on lithium has encouraged researchers worldwide to explore other avenues to make battery storage cheaper and more sustainable.

Batteries have been vital components in the rollout of renewable energy, used to support intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. Energy is stored in batteries to supply the grid when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. Lithium-ion batteries have been the most popular form of energy storage, with companies around the globe having invested heavily in incorporating large-scale battery storage into projects in recent years to make them more reliable and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

However, lithium-ion batteries have several downfalls, with severe implications for both people and the planet. Lithium is a finite resource, meaning that we will not be able to rely on lithium batteries forever and must invest in recycling to make lithium use more viable.

Roughly one-third of the world’s lithium comes from salt flats in Argentina and Chile. However, mining for this lithium requires large quantities of water in an otherwise arid area. Meanwhile, around 70 percent of cobalt, which is an important part of a battery’s electrode, comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the expansion of mining operations has led to more cases of child labour and unsafe working practices.

The limitations of lithium-ion batteries have encouraged researchers to explore more sustainable alternatives, with some recent breakthroughs suggesting the potential for the use of a broader range of batteries in future energy projects.

Chinese researchers have taken a major step forward in the production of an alternative alkaline all-iron flow battery, developed using low-cost, abundant materials and a water-based electrolyte that cannot explode. According to a report published in Advanced Energy Materials, the battery is capable of over 6,000 charge-discharge cycles without measurable capacity decay, equivalent to around 16 years of daily use.

Because iron is one of the most abundant elements on the planet, the team from the Institute of Metal Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences is hopeful that the battery will offer a more sustainable, long-term alternative to lithium-ion batteries. In addition, iron is far cheaper than raw lithium, by around 80 times. Flow batteries work using liquid electrolytes held in external tanks and pumped through a cell stack. To increase capacity, companies must simply construct larger tanks, making it highly appealing to wind and solar energy producers, although meaning it is not viable to use these batteries in smaller electronics. 

While scientists have been exploring the potential for all-iron flow batteries for years, they have previously been unable to overcome challenges such as degradation, poor reversibility, and electrolyte crossover, in which active materials migrate through the membrane and gradually undermine performance.

The Chinese researchers redesigned the negative electrolyte at the molecular level to tackle the problem. Positive results have been seen when testing the new design in lab conditions; however, the battery must now be tested in real-world conditions to see if it continues to perform well. No pilot project plan has yet been reported, although the initial progress suggests that this could soon follow. 

Another technology showing great promise is the sodium-ion battery. Sodium is also far cheaper and more abundant than lithium. While a sodium-ion battery that’s the same size and weight as a lithium-ion one will store less energy, if they can be made much more cheaply than lithium-ion batteries, they may be useful for applications in certain industries and technologies.

China is leading sodium-ion battery innovation, and Chinese carmakers were the first in the world to launch sodium-powered cars, although their limited range remains a challenge. However, in April 2025, the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, the Chinese firm CATL, announced plans to mass-produce sodium-ion batteries for heavy-duty trucks and cars under a new brand, Naxtra.

Also in 2025, the Chinese company Yadea purchased sodium-ion batteries for use in a pilot project, using them in their two- and three-wheeler scooters. Yadea rolled out a new charging system alongside the release of the $400 – $660 scooters. It also established a battery-swapping station, enabling users to drop in their spent cells in exchange for fresh ones by scanning a QR code.

Alternative battery technologies are still in the nascent stage of development, with more testing and innovation required to get them to the performance required for their commercial release. However, recent breakthroughs, mainly in China, suggest that we may soon be adopting sodium-ion or all-iron flow batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com