Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Will “Sodium-Ion” Replace “Lithium-Ion” Technology in Batteries?
Speaker
Darren Tan, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Jerry Kent
Lithium-ion-based batteries dominate the energy
storage world today in mobile, and often even fixed,
power applications. Over the years, a number of
competitive technologies have been tested, but for
one reason or another have not been successful.
Now there is renewed interest and investment in
sodium-ion technology, which has a number of
advantages and uses readily available materials.
This lecture will compare the key parameters that
practical batteries must possess and show why
sodium-ion is the potential successor to lithium-
ion technology. The lecture will feature a San Diego
startup company UNIGRID which was founded to
develop sodium-ion batteries.
storage world today in mobile, and often even fixed,
power applications. Over the years, a number of
competitive technologies have been tested, but for
one reason or another have not been successful.
Now there is renewed interest and investment in
sodium-ion technology, which has a number of
advantages and uses readily available materials.
This lecture will compare the key parameters that
practical batteries must possess and show why
sodium-ion is the potential successor to lithium-
ion technology. The lecture will feature a San Diego
startup company UNIGRID which was founded to
develop sodium-ion batteries.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Darren Tan is a founder and the CEO of
UNIGRID, Inc., a San Diego spin-out startup from
the Sustainable Power and Energy Center at UC
San Diego that is seeking to commercialize high
energy density sodium-ion battery technology.
Tan holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the
National University of Singapore and earned his
M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at
UC San Diego.
UNIGRID, Inc., a San Diego spin-out startup from
the Sustainable Power and Energy Center at UC
San Diego that is seeking to commercialize high
energy density sodium-ion battery technology.
Tan holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the
National University of Singapore and earned his
M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at
UC San Diego.
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