Researchers at French battery-maker Saft and Université Paris Est have, for the first time, used a nanocomposite metal hydride as the anode in a complete solid-state battery with a sulfur cathode and LiBH4 electrolyte. In “An all-solid-state metal hydride-Sulfur lithium-ion battery,” published in the Journal of Power Sources, Pedro López-Aranguren and colleagues explain that their… Read more »
New types of electrodes – positive and negative terminals – are considered essential for the development of a new generation of high energy-density batteries. As lithium-ion batteries begin to reach their capacity limits, many researchers are looking at lithium-sulfur as a solution. Sulfur is both lightweight and abundant, with a high theoretical energy capacity. However,… Read more »
The DOE is issuing a funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001629) for the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) of up to $19.7 million to support research and development of advanced vehicle technologies. The funding opportunity seeks projects in four areas, including Battery500 Seedling Projects. The VTO Battery500 Consortium has set a goal of doubling the specific energy of lithium… Read more »
International materials company Ilika, a developer of solid-state batteries, is taking part in a three-year project, led by Johnson Matthey, to develop protected anodes for lithium-sulfur batteries. The project will take advantage of Ilika’s high-throughput materials development technique to discover new electrolyte composition options and fabricate a free-standing, lithium-containing protected anode/separator for integration into pouch… Read more »
Lithium-sulfur batteries theoretically offer high energy density, and are widely seen as a promising next-generation energy storage system. However – you guessed it – they have several drawbacks. Among other issues, capacity tends to fade quickly. Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have identified one of the reasons behind this problem, and found… Read more »
Sony, the company that introduced the world’s first commercial lithium-ion battery in 1991, is already well along the road to a Li-ion replacement, according to Nikkei Technology. The company is reportedly developing high-capacity lithium-sulfur and magnesium-sulfur batteries, aiming for a 40% increase in volumetric capacity to 1,000 Wh/l, and plans to commercialize the new chemistries… Read more »
EU-funded researchers in the LISSEN (Lithium Sulfur Superbattery Exploiting Nanotechnology) project have developed a new lithium-sulfur battery that uses lithiated silicon as the anode and a nanostructured sulfur-carbon composite as the cathode. The team says its battery offers an energy density at least three times higher than that of current lithium battery technology, as well… Read more »
A coalition of European manufacturers and research institutes has launched ALISE (Advanced Lithium Sulfur battery for EVs), a collaborative effort to develop and commercialize lithium-sulfur technology. The objective of the 7-million-Euro ($7.6 million) project is to achieve a stable 500 Wh/kg Li-S cell by 2019. The final deliverable of the ALISE project will be a… Read more »
Lithium-sulfur batteries are one of the hottest topics in the battery field today, as they could theoretically offer energy density up to four times higher than that of lithium-ion batteries. However, one of several challenges to be overcome is finding cathode materials that demonstrate long-term stability. An international team of researchers from Drexel University and… Read more »
A team from the University of Waterloo in Canada and BASF has developed a way to stabilize cathodes in lithium-sulfur batteries, significantly improving performance and cycle life. Li-S batteries offer high theoretical energy density and low cost, due to the high natural abundance of sulfur. However, the insulating nature of sulfur and lithium sulfides requires… Read more »