In a story that beautifully blends curiosity, innovation, and purpose, Macsen Labs — a company with deep roots in pharmaceutical chemistry since 1952 — has made a remarkable leap into the world of energy storage. Their breakthrough? A high-performance Prussian White material that could redefine the future of Sodium-Ion batteries.

The discovery wasn’t planned. While working on Prussian Blue, a drug used to treat radioactive poisoning, CEO Achal Agrawal and his team stumbled upon its chemical cousin — Prussian White, a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. What began as a moment of scientific curiosity turned into a full-scale innovation journey.

With no background in electrochemistry, the team started from scratch. “We built our first pouch cell with no glovebox, no coater, nothing specialized — just our lab skills and the material we synthesized,” recalls Agrawal. “When it lit up a tiny LED, we knew we had something worth chasing.”

Fast forward a year, and Macsen now runs a state-of-the-art battery R&D facility, equipped with all the tools needed to prototype and test batteries in-house — from gloveboxes and coaters to potentiostats and cyclers. This agile setup has enabled the team to optimize their proprietary Prussian White material, pushing it to energy densities of over 150 mAh/g, putting it on par with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) — but with the added benefit of using abundant, low-cost materials like sodium and iron.

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What’s even more compelling is that the material is compatible with existing lithium-ion infrastructure, offering a realistic path to rapid deployment. And while electric vehicles often dominate battery conversations, Agrawal believes the true impact of sodium-ion lies in stationary storage — where it can support solar, wind, rural microgrids, and energy access in emerging markets.

To support the scale-up, Macsen has already filed a provisional patent for its unique synthesis process and begun kilogram-scale production using its pilot chemical facility. The next milestone: establishing Macsen Energy, a dedicated spinout focused exclusively on energy storage innovation, with a pilot cell fabrication line expected by early 2026.

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But Macsen isn’t stopping at cathode materials. The team is working across the battery stack — improving cycle life, optimizing electrolytes, and designing economical formats that cut costs without sacrificing performance. One clear edge? Sodium-ion batteries can use aluminum instead of copper as a current collector, lowering raw material costs significantly.

Agrawal sums up the vision with quiet clarity:

“We are trying to make a new energy future for India. Sodium-ion is our opportunity to build an indigenous, scalable, and affordable battery ecosystem.”

It’s a future powered not just by innovation — but by the courage to explore the unfamiliar and the conviction to turn a spark into a revolution.

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