LiSTAR: The Lithium-Sulfur Technology Accelerator
There is a need to develop batteries that supersede the practical capabilities of lithium-ion batteries to enable the electrification of demanding sectors such as aerospace and heavy electric vehicles. While there are several realistic candidates, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) chemistry combines relative technical maturity with a practical limit that places the technology in a unique position to facilitate commercialisation.
Compared with conventional Li-ion batteries, Li-S batteries store more energy per unit weight and have the potential to operate in a wider operating temperature range. They may also offer safety and cost improvements. And because sulfur is an earth-abundant element, Li-S battery supply chains will be less dependent on critical minerals than those of incumbent Li-ion chemistries.
Yet the widespread use of Li-S faces major hurdles that stem from sulfur’s insulating nature, migration of discharge products leading to the loss of active material, and degradation of the lithium anode. Scientists and engineers need to know more about how the system performs and degrades to overcome current limitations in the power density and lifespan that could unlock their use and see their translation from research into prototypes and industry.
LiSTAR is designed to address these challenges. The consortium is generating new knowledge, materials and engineering solutions, thanks to its application-guided approach, with dual focus on fundamental research at material and cell level, and an improved approach to system engineering. In an effort to accelerate the commercialisation of Li-S technology as a whole, the project is addressing, in parallel, challenges in parallel across three Li-S technologies – conventional liquid Li-S cells, a quasi-solid-state approach, and an all-solid-state cell- each of which have varying degrees of technological maturity.
These activities span fundamental materials science, electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering and the development of new electrolytes with a focus on demonstrating the developments in viable cell formats. This work is underpinned by two additional research areas focussed on cell engineering and characterisation. The consortium is seeking to enable rapid improvements in Li-S technologies, with the aim of securing the UK as the global hub for the research, development and commercialisation of this emergent technology.
Timeline with milestone/deliverables (to March 2030)
The aims of the programme are to:
- Remove practical barriers to commercialisation by eliminating excess volumes of LiNO3 and fully defining the safety window for the Li-S chemistry.
- Demonstrate a capability to deliver ultra-high energy cell performance of >550 Wh kg-1 whilst retaining sufficient cyclability and power delivery.
- Improve the mechanistic understanding of all Li-S cell chemistries, detailing likely mechanistic pathways for charge and discharge in both conventional and quasi-solid-state cells.
- Demonstrate a practical all-solid-state Li-S cell with a pathway to extended cycling (>500 cycles) and high energy density (>550 Wh kg-1 at 0.1C).
- Ensure scalability and translatability are considered in the development of all systems.
- Produce a prototype of the best-in-class conventional liquid cell technology (up to 5 Ah) to integrate into a drone application for demonstration purposes.
- Improve techno-economic and life-cycle considerations for Li-S systems, considering the full life cycle and including an assessment of the viability of recycling for Li-S.
- Consolidate and act as a point of focus for academic research and industrial development activity in the Li-S sector in the UK, building a coherent ecosystem that supports the commercialisation of the technology.
In achieving these objectives, the programme will significantly improve on current state-of-the-art from a technical perspective while also supporting a wider understanding of this emerging technology at a full cell level. In doing so the project will accelerate the development of emerging industrial activity in this area.
Project innovations
LiSTAR is closely monitoring the technical requirements for Li-S batteries in strategic markets with near-term opportunities particularly in aerospace. The project anticipates that the first viable commercial applications will be in niche markets that place a premium on energy density, which could later stimulate broader adoption. Alongside the research partners, the consortium’s industry partners have the capability to fast-track research to higher technology readiness levels and efficiently provide proof-of-concept manufacture of the new developments.
LiSTAR consortium meeting, Keble College, Oxford, March 2025.
Principal Investigators
Dr James Robinson
University College London
Professor Paul Shearing
University of Oxford
Project Manager
John Hooper
University College London
University Partners
University of Oxford (Co-Lead)
University College London (Co-Lead)
Coventry University
Cranfield University
Imperial College London
University of Cambridge
University of Nottingham
University of Southampton
Research Organisations, Facilities and Institutes
Aerospace Technology Institute
National Physical Laboratory
+ 5 Industry Partners
The Faraday Institution’s LiSTAR project has been enabled thanks to funding from the Battery Innovation Programme, through the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by Innovate UK.
