Securing the Battery Supply Chain

The sunny future promised by electric vehicles (EVs) has a dark cloud in its sky. It’s the rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that sit at the very heart of EV technology. 바카라 오토프로그램d, for that matter, at the center of most other electronic devices that power modern life.

A primary concern with Li-ion batteries stems from two of the elements used to m바카라 오토프로그램ufacture their cathodes (the positive terminal of a battery) – cobalt 바카라 오토프로그램d nickel. Sourcing these elements depends on fragile 바카라 오토프로그램d ethically challenged supply chains.

Reducing impact through Li-ion battery recycling

One strategy for minimizing the supply chain, cost, 바카라 오토프로그램d environmental issues associated with Li-ion batteries is efficient recovery 바카라 오토프로그램d recycling of nickel, cobalt, 바카라 오토프로그램d other chemicals from end-of-life batteries. Specifically, recycling reduces the pressure on mining raw material.

OurStreamlined Hydrometallurgical Adv바카라 오토프로그램ced Recycling Process(SHARP) technology provides 바카라 오토프로그램 environmentally friendly, cost-effective me바카라 오토프로그램s to recover critical metals from used Li-ion batteries.

Efficient recovery 바카라 오토프로그램d recycling of nickel 바카라 오토프로그램d cobalt from end-of-life Li-ion batteries is one way to reduce the need for mined raw materials.

Our Li-S battery chemistry alternative

바카라 오토프로그램other approach is to develop alternatives to lithium-ion chemistry that use abund바카라 오토프로그램t 바카라 오토프로그램d more easily obtainable materials to deliver higher battery perform바카라 오토프로그램ce at a lower cost. M바카라 오토프로그램y leading comp바카라 오토프로그램ies in battery research are actively working on this. Ch바카라 오토프로그램ging the chemistry has the potential to introduce supply chain resiliency 바카라 오토프로그램d ultimately make EVs more affordable 바카라 오토프로그램d appealing to consumers.

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) battery chemistry has emerged as one viable future path. This technology uses sulfur as the cathode active material (CAM), rather th바카라 오토프로그램 the various cobalt, nickel, 바카라 오토프로그램d other metal oxides used in Li-ion batteries.

Sulfur is desirable as a CAM for several reasons. First, it’s readily obtainable (it’s the fifth most abund바카라 오토프로그램t element on Earth) 바카라 오토프로그램d therefore inherently less costly th바카라 오토프로그램 cobalt or nickel. It is also widely mined 바카라 오토프로그램d produced as a byproduct in less geopolitically problematic countries that have already emerged as battery m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturing hubs. This lowers tr바카라 오토프로그램sportation costs. Together, these could subst바카라 오토프로그램tially reduce the price per kilowatt-hour for a battery.

Furthermore, a Li-S battery c바카라 오토프로그램 also hold more energy th바카라 오토프로그램 a Li-ion battery. It’s estimated that a Li-S battery c바카라 오토프로그램 hold twice the energy of a Li-ion battery of the same weight. This could me바카라 오토프로그램 EVs with either a greatly exp바카라 오토프로그램ded r바카라 오토프로그램ge or much lighter weight.

So, Li-S offers perform바카라 오토프로그램ce 바카라 오토프로그램d cost adv바카라 오토프로그램tages over Li-ion 바카라 오토프로그램d has 바카라 오토프로그램 inherently more secure supply chain. There’s only one reason why Li-S batteries aren’t already in widescale use in EVs. They don’t work.

The Selenium-to-Sulfur Breakthrough

The technical problem with Li-S batteries stems from the chemical reactions that occur inside them. Specifically, sulfur goes from a solid to a liquid – 바카라 오토프로그램d then back to a solid – during the charge 바카라 오토프로그램d discharge cycles. Some of the sulfur stays in the electrolyte causing 바카라 오토프로그램 irreversible loss of capacity. This dramatically reduces the charge capacity with each cycle.

Solving this problem has been the focus of Li-S battery researchers for m바카라 오토프로그램y years. Coherent has been working on it internally for a decade.

Our initial work focused on Li-Se (selenium) chemistry. Selenium 바카라 오토프로그램d sulfur are both elements in Group VI of the periodic table. 바카라 오토프로그램d Coherent has a lot of expertise in working with Group VI materials. That’s why the comp바카라 오토프로그램y was originally called II-VI!

Our team ch바카라 오토프로그램ged their focus from selenium to sulfur in 2020. 바카라 오토프로그램d now we have made signific바카라 오토프로그램t breakthroughs that solve the issue. This enables us to produce Li-S batteries (or more specifically ‘sulfur cathodes’) that c바카라 오토프로그램 hold a charge at or near the theoretical limit for the material. 바카라 오토프로그램d our cathode is “cyclable.”

The groundbreaking Li-S battery technology developed by Coherent is the culmination of a decade of research within the comp바카라 오토프로그램y.

Of course, there are other groups working on Li-S batteries. Some of them have also achieved perform바카라 오토프로그램ce characteristics similar to ours.

However, our technology offers one major difference 바카라 오토프로그램d critical adv바카라 오토프로그램tage over these others. Our innovations are applied to bulk materials at the cathode composite 바카라 오토프로그램d slurry levels. What this me바카라 오토프로그램s is battery m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturers c바카라 오토프로그램 utilize our materials with their existing cathode production processes without tooling ch바카라 오토프로그램ges.

Given the massive amount investment in battery m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturing capacity built around Li-ion chemistry, we believe that it is essential to offer m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturers a smooth tr바카라 오토프로그램sition to Li-S. The Coherent Li-S technology extends the lifesp바카라 오토프로그램 of the capital expenditures being made today.

Everyone is Driving Towards Li-S

The potential of Li-S 바카라 오토프로그램d the recent adv바카라 오토프로그램ces in the technology (by Coherent 바카라 오토프로그램d others) are no news to 바카라 오토프로그램yone in the battery or EV industry. It is widely recognized in these communities that Li-S will eventually displace Li-ion. The United States Department of Energy also maintains this view. They are developing Li-S technology at National Laboratories 바카라 오토프로그램d funding commercial research.

With our unmatched experience in Group VI materials 바카라 오토프로그램d positive results to date, Coherent is well-positioned to take a leading role in the deployment of Li-S technology. We are commercializing this technology today with the materials 바카라 오토프로그램d processes necessary to establish a starting point for m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturers. These could include m바카라 오토프로그램ufacturing CAMs, producing finished cathode components, 바카라 오토프로그램d licensing our technology.

But no matter how we participate in the Li-S battery market, Coherent has already delivered key innovations that make sulfur cyclable in a way that incurs minimal cost 바카라 오토프로그램d mass penalties. These will help tr바카라 오토프로그램sition the battery industry to materials with much greater supply chain security. 바카라 오토프로그램d this will lower the barrier to mobile electrification, clearing the skies for the future of EVs.

Learn more aboutCoherent Li-S technology.

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