UK: Leicester University researches aluminium-sulfur-based aluminum battery project

Recently, a research team from the University of Leicester in the UK has obtained a fund from the European Union to further study its newly developed aluminum-sulfur-based aluminum battery project. Professors Carl Ryder and Professor Andy Albert from the Department of Chemistry Materials Center are the team leaders of the team. The team's goal is to use the new material battery as a substitute for traditional batteries.

The SAlBAGE-Sulfur-Aluminium Battery project is composed of well-known universities in the European Union and top battery test companies and is funded by the EU's Vision for the 2020 Future Emerging Technologies Program. The project funds total 3 million euros, of which 545,000 euros will be invested in research projects at the University of Leicester. This award is the first such award from the University of Leicester.

The University of Leicester's team of experts selected aluminum as the battery material because of the higher performance, lower cost and higher safety of aluminum compared to lithium.

In the SAlBAGE project, the researchers' goal is to develop a new type of recycled aluminum-sulfur battery. The aluminum cathode will combine with the sulfur anode and some redox media to catalyze the sulfur reaction kinetics and improve performance. The new type of aluminum battery is expected to have a very high energy density of 1000Wh/kg, which is lower cost than the current lithium-ion battery technology and can save 60% of the cost.

The new type of aluminum battery has better flexibility, adaptability and shapeability, which will create convenience for researchers designing new equipment for transportation, aerospace and information technology.