RESULT - Rethinking Sulphur Lithium Battery Technology

Could a new 2D material/gel separator membrane architecture and assembly process be the ‘magic bullet’ that solves show-stopping challenges with Li-S batteries and enables a disruptive advance in battery technology?

Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) battery technology could provide the energy storage densities that are required for a vast range of next-generation mobile, internet-ofthings, grid storage/Power-to-X, electric vehicle and aerospace applications, as well as being more sustainable than existing technologies thanks to using abundant materials that are less polluting, easy to recycle and inherently safe. Making the switch to this better and greener technology would be easy, as it is compatible with existing battery manufacturing infrastructure. Despite this, since being invented in the 1960s Li-S battery chemistry has suffered from technical challenges that have constantly pushed it 10 years over the horizon. Researchers have sought to solve the core issues of sulphur shuttling, lithium dendrite formation, low cathode conductivity and optimising electrolyte-tocathode mass separately, one problem at a time. But what if we could overcome all these challenges at once? In this project I propose a new Li-S cell architecture and assembly process that uses a holistic approach to do just that.