EU Project Aims to Produce Viable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

The EU is doing everything it can to empower the next generation of batteries. The recently launched EU research project TALISSMAN (Technologies for Advanced Lithium-Sulphur batteries towards Safe and Sustainable Mobility Applications) “to lead the development of safe, sustainable, high-performance, and cost-effective Gen5 lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) for aerospace and other electromobility applications.”

Lithium-sulfur batteries, of course, seem like the natural successor to lithium-ion, the most obvious perk being right there in the name – sulfur (used in Li-S cathodes) is far more plentiful than the rare minerals found in Li-ion, and as a result, the former is more sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

Li-S could also enable lower manufacturing costs – owing to the greater abundance – with a higher theoretical energy density than lithium-ion batteries and lower self-discharge rates.

On the other hand, Li-S exhibits reduce cycle life, low conductivity, and its safety concerns haven’t been fully investigated (especially compared to Li-ion).

TALISSMAN has four main pillars -- technical performance (targeting energy densities up to 550 watt-hours per kg and cycle lives up to 700 full cycles), safety (or “achieving enhanced stability with non-flammable, quasi-solid and solid
electrolytes”), cost-effectiveness (reducing costs to below €75 per kilowatt-hour by 2030), and sustainability (which seeks to “minimise environmental impact across the lifecycle through eco-design, responsible sourcing, and end-of-life recyclability”).

Lastly, dissemination, exploitation, and communication activities, will facilitate “the future industrial deployment of TALISSMAN's solutions, and contributing to the establishment of a competitive and sustainable battery industry in Europe.”­