Summary Reader Response

William Lockett’s article titled "How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world" published on BigThink.com (2022), describes how a discovery made by scientists at Drexel potentially made the alternative to the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries, lithium sulphur batteries, commercially viable. According to Lockett (2022), these lithium-ion batteries have many drawbacks. The materials used to produce these batteries are extremely damaging to the environment as it destroys ecosystems and releases toxic chemicals when mined. There are battery degradation and density issues. This refers to batteries losing the capability to store charge over time and being too bulky for their energy output. These cells can also spontaneously combust when damaged. These drawbacks limit the number of applications and adoption rate of battery power. Lockett (2022) claims lithium sulphur batteries solve these issues. Lithium sulphur is less damaging to the environment, can be 3 times more energy dense, is less likely to combust and is cheaper to produce without sacrificing charge speeds. However, Lockett (2022) also states, lithium sulphur has one major drawback: its life span. Lithium sulphur could only last half as long as Lithium-ion. The Drexel team were trying to solve this problem when they found a chemical phase of sulphur which essentially stopped battery degradation. Resulting in a battery which could longer and be more energy dense than lithium-ion batteries. Now scientists are trying to understand this new phase of sulphur and ensure its permanency.

The advancements in lithium sulphur battery technology could lead to the rapid adoption and carbon neutrality of batteries which could open new markets for battery application. However, time, research and development are required to tackle the remaining challenges for these batteries to be realised.

According to Deshmukh et al. (2022, sec 8), many major challenges such as sluggish battery capacity at high discharge rates and chemical / thermal stability issues remain unresolved. The article further explains the state-of-the-art research and development required to tackle these challenges is not enough. This causes the implementation and commercialization timeline to grow longer and later. Though there is a rise in research efforts from companies like Toyota with their solid-state battery efforts, a development timeline of at least another 2 years for limited production is estimated. (Toyota IE, n.d.) With no alternative storage option available in the interim, more damage will be done to the planet. This further emphasizes the need for more time, research and development to be invested into tackling the remaining challenges faced by lithium sulphur.

Conversely, when ready, lithium sulphur batteries can be rapidly adopted due to sulphur being far easier to mine and more abundant on our planet as compared to cobalt. Sulphur makes up 0.042 percent of the earth’s crust while cobalt only accounts for 0.003 percent of the earth’s crust. (Abundance in Earth’s Crust for All the Elements in the Periodic Table, n.d.-b) This will result in bringing operational costs down. Furthermore, according to Merrifield (2020, para. 2), lithium sulphur batteries can also be manufactured in the same plants as lithium-ion batteries making the production process and adoption rather straightforward and cost-effective and rapid.

Lithium sulphur batteries are fast becoming the ideal alternative battery to lead us to a carbon-neutral future. According to Robinson et al., (2021, sec 19) lithium sulphur batteries become an even more attractive proposition when considering the lack of environmentally polluting materials in its construction and its various environmentally friendly production methods. These factors enable lithium sulphur batteries to be effectively carbon neutral.

The factors stated above along with lithium sulphur’s major performance benefits such as higher energy density leading to lighter batteries, higher capacities and improved safety could culminate in opening battery power up to new markets such as planes and boats Li-S Energy (2022). According to Thompson & Howe (2022, para 1) weight and size are major problems commercial flights face with current battery solutions. The lighter, more power dense lithium sulphur batteries could be the answer for electrifying newer applications such as commercial aviation.

While many challenges like chemical/thermal stability and sluggish battery capacity are yet to be tackled, I believe, if time and resources are invested in the evolution and refinement of lithium sulphur, a rapidly adoptable, eco-friendly and affordable battery can be realised. This along with the substantial performance gains of the lithium sulphur batteries will usher in a new era of mass electrification across industries. Resulting in a wide variety of well-made products with longer lifespans, affordable pricing and higher performance capabilities while being significantly more environmentally friendly and ultimately reducing the carbon footprint.

 

References

Abundance in Earth’s Crust for all the elements in the Periodic Table. (n.d.-b). https://periodictable.com/Properties/A/CrustAbundance.an.html

 

Battery demand is increasing exponentially as the world drives to Carbon Zero. (2022, November 24). Li-S Energy. https://www.lis.energy/technology/

 

B., Thompson & N. P., Howe. (2022, January 26). How can battery-powered aircraft get off the ground? Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00196-2?error=cookies_not_supported&code=34f236de-1815-4df7-86fb-e5b388847659

 

Deshmukh, A., Thripuranthaka, M., Chaturvedi, V., Das, A. K., Shelke, V., & Shelke, M. V. (2022). A review on recent advancements in solid state lithium–sulfur batteries: fundamentals, challenges, and perspectives. Progress in Energy, 4(4), 042001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1083/ac78bd

 

Lockett, W. (2022, June 8). How an accidental discovery made this year could change the world. Big Think. https://bigthink.com/the-future/lithium-sulfur-batteries/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR1JQ-VrPK4Nt6YauDpwVZrmkeHE1jR0zfHdUdqe1wC5xr4XEabacCNVJLE#Echobox=1658939001-1

 

R., Merrifield. (2020, June 5). Cheaper, lighter and more energy-dense: The promise of lithium-sulphur batteries. Horizon Magazine. https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/cheaper-lighter-and-more-energy-dense-promise-lithium-sulphur-batteries

 

Robinson, J. B., Xi, K., Kumar, R. V., Ferrari, A. C., Au, H., Titirici, M. M., Parra-Puerto, A., Kucernak, A., Fitch, S. D. S., Garcia-Araez, N., Brown, Z. L., Pasta, M., Furness, L., Kibler, A. J., Walsh, D. A., Johnson, L. R., Holc, C., Newton, G. N., Champness, N. R., . . . Shearing, P. R. (2021). 2021 roadmap on lithium sulfur batteries. Journal of Physics: Energy, 3(3), 031501. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/abdb9a

 

Toyota Ireland. (2023c, February 10). Solid state batteries. Toyota IE. https://www.toyota.ie/company/news/2021/solid-state-batteries