Powering Britain's
Battery Revolution
Powering Britain's
Battery Revolution
We thank the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for supporting this initiative, and to the host universities in the UK and the VRF’s home universities for supporting this successful project.
We welcome the successful completion of these Visiting Research Fellowships. Scientific collaboration is key to driving the global transition to a low carbon future and helping deliver the Paris Agreement. Innovative projects such as these enable the exchange and development of expertise between the UK, Argentina and Chile necessary to support these objectives, as well as to strengthen the UK’s battery sector.”
Louise de Sousa, His Majesty’s Ambassador, Santiago de Chile
Visiting Research Fellow Lucía Isabel Barbosa and the team in Birmingham.
The fellowship programme has leveraged knowledge and expertise of researchers across the lithium battery supply chain, fostering collaboration between the UK, Argentina, and Chile. The initiative was designed to establish enduring partnerships among research institutions. By bringing together researchers from diverse areas, such as high nickel and lithium iron phosphate cathode chemistries, critical to the UK battery sector, the programme addressed key challenges in manufacturing across materials, cell assembly and recycling.
The programme is part of a long-term effort to drive technological advancements, strengthen energy security, create market opportunities, and promote sustainable practices. Ultimately, these collective benefits contribute to the development of a resilient and competitive battery industry, crucial for the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future.
The Fellows immersed themselves into a new academic environment, grasped opportunities to engage with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, broadening perspectives, strengthening research portfolios, and opening doors to future collaborations and opportunities.
During this time, I had the opportunity to engage in innovative research, attend conferences and seminars, and collaborate with experts. Each challenge allowed me to expand my knowledge and technical skills while building valuable professional and personal connections. I deeply appreciate this incredible opportunity and the colleagues who shared this journey with me. Beyond academic and professional growth, I take with me connections that extend beyond the lab and will undoubtedly last over time.”
Dra. Lucía Isabel Barbosa, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina, who was hosted by ReLiB researchers at the University of Birmingham.
Collaboration with UK-based researchers broadened knowledge and enhanced exposure to cutting-edge research methodologies and facilities, including synchrotrons.
I can’t thank Dr. Phoebe Allan enough for hosting me – this experience has been invaluable. I was even able to join experiments at Diamond Light Source and gain more hands-on experience with synchrotron techniques. We are also preparing some proposals to be submitted at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.”
Dr. Nicolás Flores-González, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
Nicolás Flores-González with Phoebe Allen’s group.
Hosting Dr. José Arroyo Gómez has been a truly enjoyable experience. He was very friendly and always keen to help and collaborate. He developed multiple Python-based scripts to analyse electrochemical data that will be valuable to the wider group for future research. Within the project, we were able to produce good scientific output, which should lead into multiple publications. I hope to take the project to completion with José in the coming months, and continue the collaboration going forward.”
Dr. Ashok Menon, WMG, University of Warwick
Dr. Nicolas Palma from Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile, was hosted by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG, University of Warwick) as part of the Degradation project. Nicolas worked with Dr. Gerard Bree and the Battery Materials and Cells group led by Prof. Louis Piper, to manufacture and test next-generation lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cells, scaling production from coin to cylindrical cells.
Electrode formulations, mixing processes and test procedures were optimised in coin and pouch cell formats, before the most promising combination was manufactured at 10 litre scale on an industry-standard roll-to-roll coater at WMG’s pilot line. The larger format – 21700 cylindrical – was chosen to provide commercially relevant manufacturing parameters and long-term test data. Ongoing analysis of performance and degradation mechanisms in commercial formats clearly identify the key performance metrics and remaining challenges for this emerging chemistry.
The WMG team leveraged LMFP cell manufacture experience gained from both the Degradation and the WMG/Polaron AI Industry Sprint projects.
A summary of Nicolas’ research as part of his VRF.
Nicolas has been a fantastic addition to our group in WMG, bringing a wealth of experience of battery manufacturing and testing. In a short timeframe working with the WMG team, he has managed to scale LMFP cell production to 21700 cylindrical level, a key step in developing this emerging battery chemistry. We hope to build on his excellent work and continue collaborating with him and the University of Antofagasta.”
Dr. Gerard Bree, WMG
Nicolas will take his experience of making LMFP at industry-representative scales back to the battery pilot line at his home institution, the Universidad de Antofagasta.
Celso Baspineiro (right) with Jacqueline Edge (centre) and Evangelos Kallitsis (left).
Dr. Celso Baspineiro’s research at his home institution of CIDMEJu, Argentina, is centred on direct lithium extraction (DLE). This is a research area of significant interest in lithium-producing countries. In this method, brine is extracted from a basin aquifer and pumped to a processing unit where lithium is extracted and spent brine is reinjected into the aquifer. This technology has the potential to reduce aquifer depletion and harm to the environment that is associated with lithium extraction using solar evaporation.
Celso’s VRF was hosted by Imperial College London as part of the Faraday Institution’s ReLiB project. His project investigated the application of DLE technologies as a method of recovering lithium from solutions occurring within battery recycling operations at the end of the first life of batteries. Specifically, his project modelled the selectivity of membranes to lithium (as opposed to other ions).
At a recent Wilton Park meeting, organised by the FCDO and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, DLE was highlighted as the priority research area for future collaboration between South American countries and the UK.
The VRF programme helped us learn about lithium mining and processing in Argentina and particularly about the breadth of advanced DLE technologies being developed in Latin America. It brought new ideas to our team and showed us how we might model and use such processes in battery recycling. The programme has directly led to a number of collaborations that will continue and we strongly support future engagement with this programme.”
Dr. Jacqueline Edge, Imperial College London
An ongoing collaboration has been set up between the ReLiB project and Prof. Victoria Flexer’s group in Argentina to analyse the brines that result from recycling. This aims to validate Celso’s model and tailor the DLE technology to work on such solutions. The group is currently analysing samples from lithium-rich bioleachate from Prof. Louise Horsfall’s group in Edinburgh and leachates from other recycling routes will follow.
The VRF Symposium, February 2025.
One highlight was a symposium in February 2025 that convened six of the Fellows along with colleagues from their UK host institutions. It proved to be a great opportunity for the fellows to present their research, meet each other, network and explore potential future engagement activities.
Five of the Fellows also attended a Wilton Park dialogue in March 2025 Accelerating Progress on the Lithium Battery Chain: a LatAm-UK Partnership, which brought together leaders from academia, government and industry from the UK, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Participants explored and developed collaborative ways to accelerate the building of resilient local value chains, as well as developing existing research and commercial collaboration.
This and other schemes among lithium-producing countries and the UK are contributing to broaden collaboration between researchers beyond the seven Fellows.
A previous FCDO-WMG, University of Warwick scheme enabled Valeria Calani San Miguel from Bolivia to study for an MSc at WMG. This opened the door to Valeria pursuing a PhD at the same institution. Other connections made through the VRF scheme have been fruitful – a South American researcher not involved in the VRF scheme has since secured a postdoctoral research position in Professor Dame Clare Grey’s group as part of the Faraday Institution’s Degradation project.
All seven Fellows in the 2024-25 cohort are contributing to at least one scientific paper, which are currently in various stages of production. We look forward to seeing these published.
From left to right: Gerard Bree (WMG), Nicolas Palma (VRF), Valeria Calani (Bolivian PhD researcher, WMG), Ashok Menon (WMG), José Arroyo Gómez (VRF).
A full list of VRFs, projects and host institutions can be found here.
A further four VRFs will be advertised on 27 May 2025, which will also include opportunities to attract researchers from Brazil as well as Chile and Argentina.
Posted on May 13, 2025