Battery Technology

Every day seems to bring new developments in rechargeable battery research, with teams racing to surpass conventional lithium-ion technology, which has significant room for enhancement. As the adoption of electric vehicles rises and the need for storing renewable energy becomes increasingly important, the search intensifies for safer, lighter, and more sustainable power sources. Recent breakthroughs…

A research team at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has reported progress in addressing longstanding challenges that have hindered the commercialization of lithium-sulfur batteries. Dr. Park Jun-woo led the team, which focused on the “shuttle effect,” lithium polysulfides formed during charging and discharging migrate between the electrodes. This phenomenon has often resulted in performance…

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, often seen as a promising alternative to lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology, could offer higher energy densities and lower costs while using Earth-abundant materials like sulfur. However, significant hurdles, including short cycle life, material instability, and safety concerns, limit their commercial adoption. Potential and challenges of Li-S batteries Li-S batteries differ from Li-ion batteries…

Batteries have recently come in various configurations: stretchable, as discussed in R&D World’s article “Stretchable batteries and body-conformable electronics poised to advance in 2025,” and batteries using alternative chemistries, including lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) and sodium-ion (SIBs), among others. One battery material that might not have been on your bingo card is fungi. Researchers at Empa have…

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), co-developers Element3 Mineral Selective Technologies, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County have developed a new method of extracting lithium from waste liquids. This method could potentially transform the production of this critical battery metal. The process uses readily available aluminum hydroxide as an effective adsorbent material.…

Flint, a deep-tech startup based in Singapore specializing in cellulose-based paper batteries, has raised $2 million in seed funding to accelerate the commercialization of its sustainable energy storage solutions. The funding round, led by a consortium of international angel investors and AI-driven venture capital firm Hatcher+, will support pilot production, intellectual property development, and expansion…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending December 27, 2024, closed at 3,890.59, rising 1.77% (or 67.68 basis points). Automotive stocks, in particular, drove the uptick, with Honda surging by 20.39% after announcing a merger plan with Nissan. Meanwhile, tech giants showed mixed results, as IBM slid slightly (-0.26%) and Microsoft dropped -1.38%.…

Volkswagen AG, a member of the R&D World Index, announced a significant workforce reduction last week, agreeing with its labor union to cut over 35,000 jobs and billions of dollars in costs, concluding three months of intense negotiations and narrowly avoiding factory closures in Germany. In other news, Merck & Co. invested strategically in Chinese…

The State Department has announced that the United States and China have amended and extended their bilateral Science and Technology Agreement (STA) for five years. Initially signed in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the deal was designed to foster cooperation in agriculture, energy, space, health, and the environment. U.S. officials…

Lithium-ion battery packs experienced the most significant price drop in seven years. A promising new material could help batteries achieve over 20,000 charge and discharge cycles before reaching the 80% capacity threshold, maximizing their value. Two new battery technologies could replace lithium-ion, and the Biden administration significantly boosted battery production and charging infrastructure with a…

Case Western Reserve University researchers have made significant progress in developing zinc-sulfur batteries, a potentially safer and more sustainable energy storage option than widely used lithium-ion batteries. Their findings, recently published in Angewandte Chemie, highlight key advancements that could enhance the commercial viability of zinc-based batteries. “This research marks a major step forward in developing…

While some R&D sectors declined, others expanded. GM sold an EV battery plant and is the second biggest automaker withdrawing from China. At the same time, Nvidia expanded in Vietnam, Amazon built an AI-based supercomputer, and OpenAI joined Anduril to boost the U.S. military’s drone technology. The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending…

Stretchable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising as power sources of stretchable and wearable electronic devices, such as electronic skin, soft robotics, and wearable mobile phones. Furthermore, giving stretchable LIBs self-healing properties can lengthen their lives and enhance their reliability. In a study published in the KeAi journal Supramolecular Materials, Chinese researchers presented a novel strategy for fabricating…

Ten centers across nine states will receive a share of $118 million in funding to advance fundamental energy research. Argonne National Laboratory scientists will contribute to a new Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), which will be funded by the DOE Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences. Ten new and some renewed centers will receive a…

Integrated energy company Idemitsu Kosan Co. (Idemitsu) has expanded its partnership with Enthought, a specialist in digital transformation for science-driven companies. This move supports Idemitsu’s ambition to scale the development and production of innovative battery materials. The expanded partnership will include new technical consulting and implementation services and continued participation in Enthought’s Materials Informatics (MI)…

In many respects, 2024 was a year of building upon the foundations laid by previous technological and scientific advances. While AI continued to evolve at a rapid clip, progress was in many ways more incremental than last year when GPT-4 redefined expectations for genAI. But AI continues to make definable improvements across a range of…

In recent years, the global demand for batteries has significantly increased. This demand is driven by incorporating energy storage in the power sector, expanding solar and wind power use, and rising interest in electric vehicles globally. Governmental investments and new regulations worldwide support this development and the rise of clean energy. The lithium-ion battery (LIB)…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 25, 2024, closed at 3962.81 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -1.49% (or -60.14 basis points). Seven RDWI members gained value last week from 0.27% (Toyota) to 5.88% (General Motors). Eighteen RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.27%…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 18, 2024, closed at 4.022.95 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -0.66% (or -26.77 basis points). Thirteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.21% (Pfizer) to 4.63% (Cisco).  Twelve RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.05% (Sanofi…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 4, 2024, closed at 4.005.40 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.62% (or 24.71 basis points). Eight RDWI members gained value last week from 1.07% (Eli Lilly & Co.) to 6.71% (Alibaba).  Seventeen RDWI members lost value the previous week…

In a breakthrough for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have identified manganese as a promising alternative to traditional materials used in battery cathodes. Smartphones, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems have spurred demand for lithium-ion batteries, but essential elements such as nickel and cobalt pose challenges to procure. However,…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 20, 2024, closed at 4,006.95 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 2.11% (or 82.94 basis points). Twenty-one RDWI members gained value last week from 0.14% (Astra Zeneca PLC) to 11.09% (Intel). Four RDWI members lost value the previous week from…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 13, 2024, closed at 3,924.01 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 2.95% (or 112.59 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.30% (Volkswagen AG) to 14.26% (Oracle). Eight RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.85%…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 6, 2024, closed at 3,811.42 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -3.99% (or -158.42 basis points). Two RDWI members gained value last week from 0.37% (Oracle) to 2.61% (Sanofi SA). Twenty-three RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.52%…

[Adobe Stock] Updated on October 20, 2024 with new details The current Biden-Harris administration and potential Republican approaches offer different visions for the future of American science. While the Biden-Harris team emphasizes investments in climate change mitigation and clean energy, conservative approaches have historically focused on deregulation and achieving energy independence through traditional energy sources.…