$4.5 million award establishes new Center for Strain Optimization for Renewable Energy (STORE) at UCLA

UCLA has launched the Center for Strain Optimization for Renewable Energy (STORE), a new DOE-funded research hub focused on transforming sodium-ion batteries into commercially viable, scalable energy storage solutions. Backed by $4.5 million from the Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshots program, STORE brings together leading scientists from UCLA, UCSB, USC, Caltech, andSLAC to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in battery technology: how to make sodium — an abundant and low-cost element — perform like lithium. Unlike lithium, sodium ions are larger and more disruptive to battery materials, leading to slower charge rates and shorter lifespans. STORE researchers are engineering novel materials that can accommodate sodium’s bulk without compromising structural integrity. Strategies include designing frameworks with spacious channels, layering systems that resist atomic rearrangement, and flexible architectures that absorb volume changes during cycling. Equally important is the push toward sustainability and affordability. The team is replacing expensive, geopolitically constrained elements like nickel and cobalt with earth-abundant alternatives such as iron, manganese, titanium, sulfur, and phosphorus — paving the way for batteries that are not only high-performing but also economically and environmentally viable.

As a postdoctoral collaborator on this project, I’m excited to contribute to this multidisciplinary effort that blends fundamental materials science with real-world impact.

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