The Department of Energy has selected Coherent for funding to advance its next-generation Li-S battery technology for electric vehicles. This investment reinforces Coherent’s position as a global leader in engineered materials.
For the 2023 calendar year, the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) issued a comprehensive funding opportunity announcement (FOA-0002893). This funding will accelerate the development of Coherent’s patented chemical immobilization technology for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery cells to meet the demands of next-generation electric vehicles.
“The innovations behind sulfur immobilization are built on more than a decade of Coherent’s research to make sulfur cathodes and Li-S batteries a commercial reality,” said Rob Murano, Senior Director of Product Development and Commercialization. “This selection recognizes Coherent’s unique ability to unlock the potential of sulfur cathodes—storing more energy at lower weight and cost.”
Under this three-year program, Coherent will leverage DOE funding to optimize its patented immobilized sulfur materials and cathodes for EV requirements. Coherent will produce demonstration cells capable of achieving energy densities that surpass those of today’s best EV batteries while retaining more than 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 charge cycles. Developing and manufacturing stable sulfur-based cathodes has long been a goal for battery researchers, as sulfur offers higher performance and lower costs compared to current cathode materials like nickel and cobalt. Sulfur cathodes thus have the potential to secure supply chains and support the robust and growing electric vehicle market.