Donal Hickey: Irish research on the next generation of sustainable batteries

Four countries — Australia, China, Chile, and Argentina — account for 90% of the production of Lithium. Sodium and potassium batteries are promising alternatives, sharing similar chemistries to lithium. Currently, Canada, Russia and Belarus dominate potassium production, accounting for 66%, in 2023

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are increasingly used in many products such as household electronics, toys, wireless headphones, handheld power tools, electric vehicles and electrical energy storage systems including data centres.

As sales of electric vehicles (EVs) rise globally, pressure is growing to replace lithium batteries used in EVs and data centres — and in products such as household electronics, toys, hand-held electrical tools, and wireless headphones.

With demand increasing massively for finite and non-renewable lithium, scientists are seeking alternative materials. Timely then that Amber researchers, Professor Jonathan Coleman and Professor Valeria Nicolosi, of Trinity College Dublin, have been awarded funding by the Sustainable Energy Authority for this purpose.