Gelion lithium sulfur battery development update

Gelion (AIM: GELN), the Anglo-Australian battery innovator, announces an update on its Next Generation (“GEN 3”) Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) battery development.

Building on the announcements made in March and April 2024, Gelion has now successfully developed 1 Ah semi-solid-state Li-S pouch cells with its GEN 3 cell technology. The Company’s modelling from these 1 Ah GEN 3 cells predicts that a 10 Ah cell can be expected to deliver energy density greater than 400 Wh/kg.

Gelion’s GEN 3 technology uses a unique sulfur cathode material (fabricated using a unique, low energy process carried out at room temperature), water-based cathode processing (non-toxic), and a proprietary liquid electrolyte. The GEN 3 platform is based on a specially engineered formulation of commercially available materials in combination with abundant sulfur to demonstrate high energy density and operational temperature capability.

John Wood, CEO of Gelion commented on the development:

“Gelion has assembled a formidable technology base and team to progress its development program towards unlocking the full potential of this important cell chemistry. The GEN 3 cell, an evolution of the GEN 2, not only retains the high energy density of its predecessor but also offers enhanced functionality. It is designed to surpass the GEN 2 in both performance and manufacturability, paving the way for scalable production.”

Benefits of Gelion’s GEN 3 over GEN 2

·    Higher energy density – Energy density expected to be greater than 400 Wh/kg, when using a 10 Ah pouch cell.

·    Increased longevity/cycle life: GEN 3 employs new sulfur chemistry to increase stability, addressing the major degradation factors associated with conventional Li-S technology.

·    Increased sulfur utilisation: GEN 3 demonstrates the full theoretical capacity of sulfur, i.e. a much higher sulfur utilisation than found in conventional Li-S approaches.

·    Simplified supply chain: The innovative cathode combines specially engineered, but commercially available, materials with abundant sulfur that are produced using a low-energy, room-temperature process, eliminating the need for pre-processing, streamlining the battery production process and enabling localised manufacturing.

·    Environmental and economic benefits: The water-based, atmospheric cathode production process eliminates the need for toxic solvents, leading to significant cost savings and enhanced manufacturability.

GEN 3 uses the extensive network of Li-S technologies developed within Gelion and contained in the patents acquired from Johnson Matthey in March 2023.

Addressing the key barriers to commercialisation

The GEN 3 semi-solid-state Li-S cell builds on the GEN 2 Li-S cell (developed by OXIS Energy) and addresses the key barriers to commercialisation faced by typical lithium-sulfur developers.

Sulfur, being an abundant material, offers a future not limited by geographically concentrated and controlled battery metals. However, other lithium-sulfur developers often require the use of hard to obtain, rare or costly materials and have to rely on high-energy and time-consuming processes. Gelion’s GEN 3 platform and production process circumvents these barriers.

The GEN 3 cell is designed to tolerate higher operational temperatures by using Gelion’s proprietary ‘SulfurLock electrolyte’ – which is free from temperature-sensitive additives typically found in Li-S batteries. Additionally, this electrolyte has been engineered to prevent sulfur redistribution during operation, increasing cycle life, addressing the primary cause of degradation in Li-S batteries.

Gelion’s cathode uses a proprietary sulfur active cathode material, fabricated using a unique, low energy process performed at room temperature. By using this process, Gelion can eliminate the need to pre-fabricate the cathode-active material. This has the potential to simplify the battery supply chain and make the production of sulfur batteries not only easier, but also more cost efficient than is the case for lithium-ion batteries, enhancing the manufacturing options geographically.