With lithium-sulfur batteries, the autonomy of electric vehicles could be quintupled

A team of scientists from the University of Michigan may have found the solution to radically increase the performance of electric batteries. The researchers used recycled kevlar, the same material used in bulletproof vests, to create a network of nanofibers similar to a cellular membrane. They then used it to create lithium-sulfur batteries.

Much more efficient new generation batteries

If the results are confirmed, it could be a small revolution in the automotive world and transport in general. The researchers believe that their batteries could be five times more efficient than those we know today. Indeed, lithium-sulfur batteries have far greater potential than standard lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles to pacemakers.

So far, researchers say the inherent instability of lithium-sulfur battery cathodes, which experience a 78% change in size with each load cycle, “makes their use very impractical in consumer electronics”. This defect also causes them to degrade extremely quickly, which means they would need to be replaced much more often than lithium-ion batteries. considered much more stable.

Lithium-sulfur batteries replacing lithium-ion batteries?

However, and due to the revolutionary potential of lithium-sulfur batteries, the world of research is trying to make this technology viable. According to Nicholas Kotov, professor of chemical science and engineering at the University of Michigan, “there is still work to bring all the parameters together: capacity, load rate, resilience and security”. However, the hope is there. Such batteries could change our uses, particularly in terms of transport.

American researchers have developed a technique that comes close to the standards we know. With their method, the lifetime of lithium-sulfur batteries can reach about 1,000 cycles. This would mean that it would have to be changed approximately every 10 years on an electric vehicle. Another major advantage for the environment: the materials used to manufacture these new generation batteries are much less damaging than those used in lithium-ion batteries.

In 2020, a teacher-researcher had already explored the possibilities offered by lithium-sulfur batteries. Two years ago, Mahdokht Shaibani, from Monash University in Melbourne, said he had found a solution to prevent the battery from degrading too quickly. She also specified that with this technique, the pile did not split due to expansion. In short, there is no longer any doubt that lithium-sulfur batteries have many advantages. You will definitely have to wait a few years to see them replace our lithium-ion batteries.