The article “How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world” by Lockett (Apr 2022) explains how the newfound Lithium-Sulphur (Li-S) powered battery could be implemented and change the way we live our lives. Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries have always been the go to choice for a wide range of applications. However, the use of Li-S batteries could end up being revolutionary due to its potential increase in battery lifecycle, as well as being more environmentally friendly to mass produce. Weighing approximately 60% less than Li-ion batteries, and having twice the lifespan, going fully electric in commercial transportation now seems feasible. In addition, Earth being lithium and sulphur rich makes mining resources for lithium-sulphur batteries much more eco friendly, as well as ensuring that there is a strong supply chain in the industry. However, Engineers and scientists at the University of Drexel, California (USA), are still doing more research to make the use of Li-S batteries possible, due to the current challenge of Li-S batteries being only usable for 1000 charge cycles. Li-S batteries have the potential to revolutionise the way we live, compared to their Li-ion counterparts, and although there is still a long road ahead, these are some of the factors and advantages that are key to making Li-S batteries commercially available worldwide.
One of the factors that would make Li-S batteries revolutionary is due to the chemical phase that Sulphur goes through at a certain temperature. This chemical phase is called the monoclinic gamma-phase sulphur. Typically, this phase only occurs at elevated temperatures of 95°C(203°F) and above. Surprisingly, in recent studies at Drexel, chemical engineers have found that it is possible to achieve this phase of sulphur at room temperature (Lockett, 2022). This chemical phase of sulphur stops the loss of energy capacity, which plays a huge role in creating a long lasting battery.
The materials that are used to create Li-S batteries are also a key factor that would make Li-S batteries superior over their Li-ion counterparts. In our present day, the cathodes that are in Li-ion batteries consist of mostly nickel and cobalt. Apart from the rising costs of mining these resources, it also comes with environmental deficits. In the article “Explainer: Cost of nickel and cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries”, it states how “cobalt metal on the London Metal Exchange is trading at four-year highs around $71,000 a tonne” and “Shortages of nickel have fuelled a rally that took prices to $24,435 a tonne last month, the highest since August 2011” (Desai, Feb 2022). Being the top producer of nickel, Indonesia leaves behind a detrimental amount of carbon, and with cobalt being a by-product of nickel, the government is bound to step in and place restrictions on producing nickel when concerns of disposing waste arise. On the other hand, the abundance and relatively lower costs of producing sulphur comes with more economical advantages when Li-S batteries are commercialised more throughout the world (Stephen Gifford, James Robinson, 2020). The abundance of sulphur on earth means that the harsh impacts on the world’s ecology will be reduced, as producing sulphur has low carbon emissions (Lockett, 2022). In addition to being eco-friendly, the abundance of sulphur also means that the production of sulphur helps to maintain a strong supply chain in the industry, which helps prevent prices from spiking up in the market.
However, even with such shocking discoveries and findings, scientists have yet to find a way to fully implement Li-S batteries in our lives as of now. Scientists are still trying to figure out the mechanics behind the monoclinic gamma-phase of sulphur, both the how and why are still currently being answered. Professor Cairns from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, mentioned in an interview that “electric vehicle batteries ‘are several years away – we need further development and large size scale up” (James, Dec 2013). Another abstract that Professor Cairns has written, states that the difficulties faced in maintaining Li-S batteries’ capacity and having subpar rate capabilities are “preventing the practical application of this attractive technology” (Min-Kyu Song, Yuegang Zhang, Elton J.Cairns, 2013).
In conclusion, there is no doubt that the advancements and discoveries made on Li-S are beginning to prove that it is potentially revolutionary, having so many commercial and ecology advantages over its Li-ion counterparts. However, there are still too many unanswered questions and challenges that scientists and engineers are facing, though it is highly possible now that we can see such technological advancements being implemented in our daily lives in the near future. Although, it seems that these discoveries that are being made are bringing us a step closer to making Li-S commercially ready, being more energy dense, lighter weight and cost efficient, Li-S batteries could end up changing the way we live our lives.
References
William Lockett. (April 2022) An accidental discovery could change the world. Freethink
Stephen Gifford, James Robinson (July 2020) Lithium-Sulphur batteries: Advantages. Faraday Insight 8
https://www.faraday.ac.uk/lis-advantages/
Pratima Desai (February 2022) Explainer: Costs of nickel and cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries. Reuters
Emily James (December 2013) Lithium–sulfur batteries ready to go the distance. ChemistryWorld
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lithium-sulfur-batteries-ready-to-go-the-distance/6858.article
Min-Kyu Song, Yuegang Zhang, Elton J. Cairns (November 2013) A Long-Life, High-Rate Lithium/Sulfur Cell: A Multifaceted Approach to Enhancing Cell Performance. ACS Publications
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl402793z
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