UK (Coventry University) Coventry University part of consortium to develop next-generation battery technologies

Coventry University is playing its part in a €5.7million project aiming to develop a new class of self-healing batteries.

The university’s Centre for E-Mobility Research (CEMR) is one of 10 organisations from six European countries to have joined forces and secured the significant funding under the umbrella of the Horizon Europe Programme.

While currently generation lithium-ion (Li-ion Gen 3) chemistries dominate the market for rechargeable batteries, future generations of chemistries offer promising step-changes and improvements.

HEALING BAT will focus on developing and implementing self-healing concepts and materials in key components, used in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, and extrapolate the designs and concepts to develop a new technology.

The project will create a toolbox consisting of new materials, relevant sensors, and bespoke management systems, with the aim of maximising the performance of the developed cells in terms of quality, reliability, and lifetime. The ultimate purpose is to control the flow of energy to and from the system, monitor any errors and apply corrective actions when necessary.

Stefan Palzer, project co-ordinator at the Technical University of Dortmund, who hosted the project’s kick-off meeting earlier this month, said:

Researchers from CEMR will lead on the development of sensor instrumentation and communication electronics as part of a team to create the smart batteries. In addition, the effect of the self-healing process on the battery performance will be characterised using both sensor data and model outputs.