Research into the development of lithium-sulfur batteries, a promising next-generation battery for transport has received a share of £97 million investment.
Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry are one of twenty-three new Prosperity Partnerships announced today, that will tackle key industry challenges in areas from drug manufacturing and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity.
The UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is funding the partnerships with a £41 million investment, matched with a further £56 million from businesses and academia.
The projects will deliver pioneering technologies that will improve lives and grow the economy. Each partnership is co-created and co-delivered with UK business partners to ensure the research addresses industry needs. They range from big household names to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The University of Nottingham project is led by Professor Darren Walsh in collaboration with business partner Adrien Amigues, Gelion plc. This project seeks to accelerate the development of lithium-sulfur batteries, a promising next-generation battery that could transform electric transportation in cars, aircraft and ships. These batteries are lighter than today’s lithium-ion batteries potentially making them ideal for vehicles, but they currently wear out too quickly. To solve this, researchers will combine state-of-the-art analytical chemistry and electrochemistry to find ways to protect the batteries from degrading. The goal is to build a lab-scale battery that can last hundreds of charge cycles without losing energy storage, a critical step in the move towards widespread electrification of transportation.
Professor Walsh said: “Lithium-sulfur batteries are among the most promising of the next generation of high-energy battery technologies, but unwanted chemical reactions between the lithium electrodes and cell components limit the lifetimes of these systems. Our new partnership will yield exciting new techniques for stopping these degradation reactions, pushing the battery lifetimes far beyond that of conventional systems, and accelerating the commercialisation of these high-energy batteries.
Since 2017, when the initiative was launched, 100 Prosperity Partnerships have received a total share of more than £600 million from EPSRC, industry partners and research organisations.
EPSRC Executive Chair, Professor Charlotte Deane said: “Our flagship Prosperity Partnerships scheme brings together world-class expertise from businesses and academia to solve big challenges to support the growth of industry and advance UK research.
“These 23 ambitious projects present a significant investment in the UK’s future. From speeding up drug manufacturing to longer lasting batteries, these partnerships have the potential to make a real difference to people’s lives and help boost the economy”.
Science Minister, Lord Vallance said: “These partnerships show the range of real-world challenges the UK’s world-class research base is helping to tackle – from cutting carbon emissions in heavy transport, to improving access to life-saving medicines.
“By backing scientists to work hand-in-hand with industry, we’re combining cutting-edge research with business expertise to turn science into practical solutions that can make a difference in people’s daily lives.”
A full list of all twenty-three Prosperity Partnerships can be found here: https://www.ukri.org/news/uk-businesses-and-academia-partner-up-in-cutting-edge-research/
SOURCE: University of Nottingham
