Faraday funding puts battery research on full-charge

The new projects, which join existing Faraday Institution research projects, have the dual aims of improving current generation lithium ion batteries as well as materials discovery and optimisation projects to support the commercialisation of next-generation batteries.

“It is imperative that the UK takes a lead role in increasing the efficiency of energy storage as the world moves towards low carbon economies and seeks to switch to clean methods of energy production,” said Neil Morris, CEO of the Faraday Institution. “Improvements in EV cost, range and longevity are desired by existing EV owners and those consumers looking to purchase an EV as their next or subsequent car.”

Charging into the future

Among the projects is the Oxford University-led Nextrode project, which is looking at realising the electrochemical potential of electrodes for Li-ion batteries.

In a statement, project partner WMG at the University of Warwick said that Li-ion batteries are made with a slurry casting process that mixes active materials before being coated onto thin foils of aluminium or copper. These are then dried and compressed. According to WMG, the process is highly effective for mass production, but is developed empirically through trial and error at great cost to the manufacturer.