Due to the successful R&D-scale synthesis of its high-performance Prussian White, a next-generation cathode material for Sodium-Ion batteries, Macsen Labs, a maker of APIs, dyes, and specialty chemicals since 1952, has announced a significant advancement in Sodium-Ion battery technology. For its exclusive synthesis method, the business has submitted a provisional patent application. At the company’s electrochemistry and battery R&D facility, the material has already been optimized for battery use and has demonstrated encouraging outcomes, paving the way for the subsequent stage of pilot-scale manufacturing.
“It’s an interesting story, how a pharmaceutical company like ours entered the energy storage space,” stated Mr. Achal Agrawal, CEO of Macsen Labs and the lead researcher behind the project. “While working on Prussian Blue as a drug for radioactive poisoning, we discovered its derivative — Prussian White, which was emerging as a leading candidate for Sodium-Ion battery cathodes. That moment of curiosity led us down this path.”
Exactly one year ago, with zero experience in electrochemistry, Macsen’s team fabricated a basic pouch cell inside a regular chemistry R&D lab, without specialized equipment. “We had no glovebox, no coater, no calendering machine, just our lab experience and synthesized material,” recalled Agrawal. “When that small cell lit up an LED bulb, we knew we had something worth pursuing. That spark led us to establish a full-fledged electrochemistry lab.”
An argon-filled glovebox for handling inert atmospheres, coin and pouch cell manufacturing stations, electrode coaters, crimpers, vacuum dryers, and electrochemical testing apparatuses including cyclers and potentiostats are all part of Macsen’s battery research and development facilities. This configuration drastically cuts down on development time by enabling Macsen to quickly create and test battery cells using its own manufactured materials.
Prussian White is now being produced on a kilogram scale by the business using a pilot-scale chemical synthesis facility. The crew has become proficient in Prussian White chemistry via a series of experiments over the past year, and they have generated what is probably one of the highest quality variations to date.
Through its proprietary process, Macsen has achieved an energy density exceeding 150 mAh/g with Prussian White, which is comparable to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP). The material also shows excellent stability, fast sodium-ion mobility due to its open crystalline structure, and compatibility with existing Li-ion cell manufacturing infrastructure.
“Performance-wise, it’s at par with LFP, but made from abundant, low-cost materials like sodium and iron,” stated Agrawal. “And these elements are easily available, affordable, and free from geopolitical constraints.”
This project, originally incubated within Macsen Labs, is now being advanced under a dedicated entity currently under formation — ‘Macsen Energy’, which will focus exclusively on energy storage innovation and scale-up.
“The real potential of sodium-ion batteries lies not just in electric vehicles,” stated Agrawal. “It lies in stationary energy storage systems that store and manage renewable energy from solar and wind. This is where India’s energy transition will happen at scale.”
Macsen’s current Sodium-Ion battery technology, using its Prussian White as cathode paired with a hard carbon anode, is well suited for applications such as battery energy storage systems (BESS) for grid and solar, household backup and inverter systems, short-range EVs, auto-rickshaws, two-wheelers, city buses, rural microgrids, and energy access solutions.
The company is now focusing not only on improving cycle life, energy density, charge-discharge rates, and optimizing electrolyte-additive systems, but also on reducing the cost contribution of other components of the battery cell. Macsen aims to develop economical form factors by innovatively combining low-cost battery materials, components, and manufacturing processes, especially for large-scale stationary energy storage. One inherent cost advantage of sodium-ion technology is its use of aluminium in place of copper as the cathode current collector, which would further reduce raw material costs.
To demonstrate the performance of Prussian White in commercial large-format cells, Macsen is setting up a pilot-scale cell fabrication line. The company is already sourcing equipment for this and aims to have the pilot-scale production facility operational by early 2026.
“We are trying to make a new energy future for India,” concluded Agrawal. “Sodium-ion batteries are India’s opportunity to build a truly indigenous, scalable, and affordable energy storage ecosystem.”
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