The study addresses a key challenge: the highly reactive nature of sodium-metal batteries, which affects their stability and fast-charging ability. Smarter sodium batteries An MIT team has developed an AI-guided method for designing advanced electrolytes that could significantly improve sodium-metal batteries, bringing the low-cost energy storage technology closer to commercial use. The research focuses on one of the biggest technical barriers limiting sodium-metal batteries: the electrolyte. Intelligent electrolyte design To accelerate the search, the team developed a machine-learning-guided molecular design pipeline. Beyond sodium-metal batteries, the team believes the design framework could be applied to a broad range of next-generation battery chemistries.