CATMAT: Next generation lithium ion cathode materials

The cathode (one component of a battery cell and is one of two key elements that make a battery work, along with the anode) represents one of the greatest barriers to increasing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries for EV applications. Changes to the chemistry of the cathode are likely to give the greatest improvements in future battery performance: boosting battery life, storing greater energy to improve range, reducing battery cost and increasing the power available to the EV during acceleration. Developing a new generation of lithium-ion cathodes is therefore a major scientific and commercial challenge as well as a huge opportunity. 

The CATMAT project is focused on understanding and mitigating the current limitations of lithium-rich oxygen redox cathodes, and of developing cathodes with novel or complex anion chemistries. Alongside this progression in fundamental understanding of the electrochemistry of these cathodes, the project is developing scalable synthesis routes for the most promising identified materials. Once synthesised at a larger scale, these materials will then be integrated into full battery cells to demonstrate practical performance.  This project will support the accelerated development of new cathode materials and will build on industrial partnerships to deliver technological applications.