Climate change is a critical global issue: shifting away from releasing CO2 by burning fossil fuels is vital. Future electricity grids will be decentralised and reliant on renewable sources (wind, wave, solar), where fluctuations in energy production cause issues matching supply with demand, raising the urgent need for cheap, effective, sustainable energy storage solutions. In this project, we will develop our research on novel biotemplated syntheses of next-generation sodium-ion battery (NIB) cathode materials for grid-scale storage and load-leveling applications to ensure consistent and secure electricity supplies. This is a pressing concern for both sustainability and performance. Traditional battery materials synthesis needs high temperatures (>800°C), making production energy costs a major sustainability issue for industry. Alternatives to NIBs based on lithium-ion battery (LIB) technologies are well-known but Li is expensive and relatively scarce. Safety and poor cycling concerns also make Li unsuitable for large grid-scale applications. NIBs are an attractive solution, without the major issues of LIBs, but the electrochemical performance of current NIB materials is too poor for applications. Sodium is a large heavy ion; migration through dense crystals structures is difficult. New, improved materials are needed, with nanoscaling being a likely candidate. This approach was used for LiFePO4 cathodes, later commercialised for power tools and electric vehicles despite the low electronic conductivity and slow Li diffusivity in LiFePO4. It is timely and important that NIB materials be similarly investigated. Biotemplated syntheses are an emergent, flexible set of methodologies to rapidly form novel nanoscale crystal shapes in oxides. Atomically mixed metal ion-biotemplate composites are formed by ion uptake from solution, and give unprecedented control of crystal formation as the template is combusted. Such approaches give significant advantages over traditional high-temperature routes: reaction of atomically homogeneous mixtures creates short ionic diffusion distances between reagents, promoting rapid, low-temperature reactions. Biotemplates give unparalleled control of particle shape and size on the nanoscale. Creation of nanoparticles (using sugar), nanowires (using seaweed derivatives) etc. may yield electrode materials with shorter, faster Na-ion migration routes, potentially resulting in improved specific capacities, better structural stability on removal of Na, and improved rate capabilities via increased surface and electrolyte/electrode contact areas. This project will enable a new interdisciplinary collaboration: crystal chemistry and ionic diffusion mechanisms (NRM), emergent biotemplating syntheses and consolidation techniques (RB), and electrochemical testing of NIB materials (PH): the doctoral scholar will benefit from all three, creating a uniquely skilled researcher able to advance the NIB field.