UNI FOCUS: FUTURECAT PROJECT
and will enable a consortium of researchers across fi ve
academic institutions to pursue cutting-edge research. Corr
reveals she and her team will also be working closely with
external partners, the National Physical Laboratory and the
ISIS Neutron and Muon facility, to establish the improved
performance of the department’s fully characterized new
materials against the current industry standards. “We have
very strong industry engagement and are joined by nine
industry partners to ensure that the discoveries we make
in FutureCat lead to economic and technological impact.
Crucially, our project will also train the next generation
of scientists and engineers,” Corr states.
FutureCat will unlock the chemistry and manufacturing
principles needed to roll out the next generation of
lithium-ion batteries with enhanced cyclability, higher
energy density and, crucially, using ethically sourced,
abundant materials, claims the professor. “The University
of She eld is the lead institution in this work, with
expertise that spans materials design to manufacture,
as well as battery cell fabrication and testing, we bring
together collaborators from across the UK to deliver
advancements in electrode discovery, development,
longevity and resilience.”
The researchers have been working on cathode
developments for many years now. In particular, they have
been establishing new synthetic routes to highperformance
materials for use in lithium and sodium ion
batteries, as well as all solid-state batteries. “As
part of existing research
“We will be examining what earth
abundant elements can reproduce
the performance effects of cobalt”
Professor Serena Corr, chair in functional nanomaterials, Sheffi eld University
programs, we have been expanding our
understanding of degradation processes
occurring in lithium-ion batteries and
developing strategies to mitigate those
degradation processes, for example through
the use of protective coatings on the surface
of cathode materials. The FutureCat project
builds on this expertise to establish new
families of battery cathode materials, some
based on known chemistries where we have
the knowledge and know-how to push the
boundaries of existing materials of interest
to industry, and others based on the
discovery of new materials where we are
targeting low/zero cobalt chemistries to
reduce cell manufacturers’ dependency
on cobalt.”
128 // January 2020 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
1. Researchers working on
cathode advancements
for use in lithium and
sodium ion batteries
1
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