Macsen Energy's Prussian White Cathode Hits 1,500 Cycles
Macsen Energy's sodium-ion battery cell, using its proprietary Prussian white cathode, has exceeded 1,500 charge-discharge cycles in lab tests, retaining 90% capacity at 1,000 cycles.
Macsen Energy's proprietary Prussian white cathode material exceeded 1,500 charge-discharge cycles while retaining 90% capacity at 1,000 cycles in lab testing. The company, based in Udaipur, Rajasthan, announced this milestone for its sodium-ion battery cell, highlighting progress toward a lower-cost, sustainable alternative to lithium-ion for grid storage and electric vehicles.
Achal Agrawal, CEO of Macsen Group, stated that crossing 1,500 cycles with sustained capacity and high coulombic efficiency was an important result for the team. The company did not disclose whether the results were independently verified by a third party.
Technology and material advantages
Prussian white is a sodium-rich, iron-based compound used as a cathode. Its open crystal structure enables reversible insertion and extraction of sodium ions during charging and discharging. The material offers potential advantages like low production costs, abundant raw materials, fast charging, and long cycle life.
Macsen Energy claims its proprietary synthesis process addresses historical challenges like moisture sensitivity and scalability. The process yields a highly crystalline, fully sodiated material with low water content and improved air stability. The company has filed a patent application related to this manufacturing process.
The cathode material operates within a voltage range of 2.2 V to 4.0 V, with an average discharge voltage between approximately 2.5 V and 3.6 V. Its specific capacity exceeds 150 mAh/g, and it demonstrated a coulombic efficiency of approximately 99.9% in testing.
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Cycle Life (tested) | >1,500 cycles |
| Capacity Retention at 1,000 cycles | 90% |
| Operating Voltage Range | 2.2 V to 4.0 V |
| Average Discharge Voltage | ~2.5 V to 3.6 V |
| Specific Capacity | >150 mAh/g |
| Coulombic Efficiency | ~99.9% |
Scaling toward pilot production
To advance the technology, Macsen Energy has allocated 10,000 square metres of land in Udaipur for a proposed scale-up facility. This site will house a Prussian Blue Analogue cathode-material plant and a sodium-ion cell fabrication pilot line.
The pilot line will handle electrode preparation, cell assembly, validation, and performance testing under near-commercial manufacturing conditions. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in 2027, though the precise location has not been disclosed.
The company integrates chemical synthesis, battery cell fabrication, and electrochemical testing to advance its technology. Producing battery-grade Prussian White requires careful control of composition, sodium content, water content, and crystal structure.
Research background and next steps
Macsen Energy's research originated within Macsen Labs Group, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and niche pharmaceutical ingredients. The team initially worked on Prussian Blue as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for radioactive contamination treatment before pivoting to battery materials.
The company's primary cell-development approach pairs the Prussian white cathode with a hard carbon anode. It has also initiated research into hard carbon synthesis and is investigating alternative anode materials and anode-free configurations.
Current work continues on cathode and anode materials, coin-cell and pouch-cell testing, and developing complementary battery materials for sodium-ion full cells. The upstream raw-material supply chain for Prussian White includes natural gas, nitrogen, oxygen, and caustic soda, with materials available from India, Europe, and China. Production can be scaled to thousands of tonnes using existing chemical manufacturing infrastructure.
Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in 2027.
