Demonstrating large-scale and high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

锂硫（Li-S）电池代表了最有前途的技术之一，可以将电池性能提升到锂离子电池（LIB）之外，摆脱对关键原材料的依赖，并实现以前由于能量重量比差而无法实现的应用，例如动力飞行。目前的电池市场价值为1100亿美元（到2027年为4240亿美元）。据估计，该市场的三分之一是重量关键型应用，约占全球碳排放量的2%。锂硫电池是促进净零过渡和简化这些重量关键技术的关键。由于缺乏具有能量密度的可行阴极材料来补充这些电池中使用的锂金属阳极，锂硫电池的商业化受到阻碍。此外，有几个因素阻碍了可行的Li-S电池的途径，包括活性材料损失、高电解质使用和差的硫转化。这一切都导致了低容量和短寿命的Li-S电池。因此，迫切需要克服这些问题，以实现锂硫电池。PI的ERC高级资助支持的工作显示了新阴极主体的变革性突破; LixMoS 2，用于关键的无原材料锂硫电池。这一卓越的阴极主体已被证明能够解决数十年研究工作中一直存在的关键问题，首次实现高能量和长寿命的锂硫电池。这一概念验证旨在采取必要的商业和技术步骤，将这一创新商业化：展示了我们的阴极的公斤级制造，展示使用我们的放大正极材料生产的高性能大型锂硫电池，对商业计划进行关键的市场评估，并与行业和最终用户进行接触，以实现市场准入。

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries represent one of the most promising technologies to advance battery performance beyond lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), to move away from the reliance of critical raw materials, and enable applications previously inaccessible due to poor energy to weight ratio such as powered flight. The current battery market is valued at $110 Bn ($424 Bn by 2027). It is estimated that a third of this market is for weight-critical applications which account for approximately 2 % of global carbon emissions. Li-S batteries are key to facilitating the net-zero transition and electrifying these weight-critical technologies.The commercialisation of Li-S batteries has been hindered by the lack of a viable cathode material with energy density to complement the Li-metal anode used in these cells. Furthermore, there are several factors which hinder the route to a viable Li-S battery including active material loss, high electrolyte use, and poor sulfur conversion. This all leads to low-capacity and short-lived Li- S batteries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to overcome these issued to enable Li-S batteries.Work supported by the PI's ERC Advanced Grant has shown a transformative breakthrough of a new cathode host; LixMoS2, for critical raw materials-free Li-S batteries. This remarkable cathode host has shown to solve key issues which have previously lingered during decades of research efforts, to enable high-energy and long-life Li-S batteries for the first time.This Proof of Concept aims to take essential commercial and technical steps to commercialise this innovation: demonstrate kilogram scale manufacturing of our cathode, demonstrate large-scale Li-S batteries with high-performance using our scaled-up cathode material, a critical market assessment for a business plan, and engagement with industry and end-user for a route-to-market.