| Abstract Scope |
Sodium-ion batteries are attracting growing interest for grid-scale energy storage because they combine earth-abundant sodium with cathode chemistries based on low-cost, redox-active transition metals. Among these cathodes, layered oxides are particularly promising due to their high capacity and compositional flexibility. In this talk, I will discuss our group’s multiscale effort to understand and control these issues in layered sodium cathodes. By combining process-parameter mapping with operando characterization, we establish how synthesis conditions govern local structure, microstructure, and single-particle morphology, and how these features influence electrochemical behavior. Building on optimized layered cathodes, we further investigate interfacial stability under different electrolyte formulations and show that targeted additives can suppress excessive cathode–electrolyte interphase formation, mitigate material dissolution, and improve long-term cycling stability. Together, these studies provide a processing–structure–interface framework for the rational design of layered sodium cathodes. |