2026 is regarded as the first year of large-scale application for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), as the industry transitions from technological exploration to tackling mass production and commercialization. Notably, the layered oxide technology route—once a leader in high energy density— is being overtaken by the polyanion route (e.g., NFPP composite sodium iron phosphate). This paradigm shift stems from a comprehensive trade-off among cost, safety, supply chain and scenario adaptability across the sodium-ion battery value chain, and marks a critical pivot for the industry from "competing on technical parameters" to "competing on practical value".1. Corporate Strategic Choices Propel Polyanion to Emerge as a New Mainstream Route
Corporate strategic decisions have accelerated the rise of polyanion technology as an emerging dominant force.
In January 2026, Zhongna Energy’s production base for polyanion sodium iron sulfate cathode materials in Meishan, Sichuan officially commenced operations, which will support the planning and deployment of at least 5GWh of sodium-ion battery capacity in the future. In the same month, Jianan Energy announced the launch of Phase II of its 100,000-tonne-per-annual production base for polyanion sodium-ion battery cathode materials in Zigong, Sichuan.
Yingna New Energy focuses on polyanion NFPP series materials. After completing Phase I of its 10,000-tonne production line in March 2025—achieving a batch supply capacity of over 5,000 tonnes per year—the company plans to build new capacity of no less than 20,000 tonnes per year in 2026.
Longpan Technology, one of the leading enterprises in high-voltage-density lithium iron phosphate cathode materials, is also actively deploying the sodium-ion battery cathode material business. Its subsidiary Shandong Nanyuan was officially established on February 6, 2026, and simultaneously completed a pilot production line for NFPP polyanion cathode materials with an annual planned capacity of 5,000 tonnes, which has now entered mass production.
Industry data corroborates this technological shift. Since the second half of 2025, shipments of polyanion cathode materials have boomed. According to institutional data, global shipments of sodium-ion battery cathode materials reached approximately 20,000 tonnes in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 122.2%. Of this total, polyanion cathode materials shipped around 14,000 tonnes, surging by over 360% year-on-year and accounting for roughly 70% of the market; layered oxide cathode materials shipped 5,000 tonnes, down 16.6% year-on-year.
Industry insiders note that the sodium-ion battery sector will continue to accelerate in 2026, with shipments of sodium-ion cathode materials—especially polyanion materials—expected to maintain high growth, driven by rapid demand growth in energy storage and other applications.
2. Polyanion Surpasses Layered Oxides by Addressing Core Pain Points, Delivering Superior Cost, Safety, Lifespan and Adaptability
The key to polyanion cathode materials outperforming layered oxides lies in their targeted solutions to the drawbacks of layered oxides, creating advantages in cost, safety, cycle life and scenario adaptability.
Cost: Polyanion cathode materials such as composite sodium iron phosphate use sodium, iron and phosphorus as primary raw materials, which are abundant in reserves and relatively low in price. Their system cost is lower than that of layered oxide materials, making them better suited for cost-sensitive markets such as energy storage and communication base stations.
In addition, compared with lithium-ion batteries, Zhongna Energy disclosed earlier this year that with the release of large-scale production capacity, the price of sodium-ion battery cathode materials is expected to drop to "over 10,000 RMB per tonne", offering a cost advantage of over 50% compared with lithium iron phosphate cathode materials.
Safety & Lifespan: Public data shows that layered oxide cathode materials are prone to structural phase transitions and have weak thermal stability. In contrast, composite sodium iron phosphate benefits from a stable polyanion framework, typically meeting the 8–10 year cycle life requirement for energy storage applications.
Scenario Adaptability: Polyanion cathode materials retain over 92% of their capacity at -20°C and can discharge stably even at -50°C, solving the problem of low-temperature capacity decay in new energy battery systems. This enables adaptation to complex environments such as high altitudes, high humidity and extreme cold.
It is important to clarify, however, that polyanion sodium-ion batteries (represented by composite sodium iron phosphate) will not fully replace layered oxide sodium-ion batteries, despite emerging as a major force in the market. Layered oxide batteries will still dominate fast-charging scenarios thanks to their higher energy density and excellent rate performance, forming a "scenario-complementary" market structure.
The overtaking of polyanion over layered oxides in market share fundamentally reflects that polyanion batteries precisely match the core demands of downstream industries for large-scale sodium-ion battery deployment—with lower cost, higher safety, longer cycle life and broader adaptability.
With a stable three-dimensional framework structure and extreme cost-reduction potential, the polyanion route compensates for the shortcomings of layered oxides, such as cycle degradation and poor low-temperature performance.
As leading enterprises optimize production processes, drive down material costs and achieve new breakthroughs in energy density, 2026 is poised to be a pivotal year for polyanion sodium-ion batteries to expand their market share.
For the sodium-ion battery industry, this shift is more than just an optimization of material selection—it is a critical step toward making sodium-ion batteries widely accessible, establishing them as a pillar technology and core growth engine for new energy storage. It will accelerate the large-scale penetration of China’s sodium-ion batteries in energy storage, distributed backup power, transportation electrification and other fields, supporting the construction of a new power system and the achievement of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
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