This week, we are celebrating Chemistry World’s Battery Week with a special battery-themed episode! We discuss the race between cathode materials for electric vehicles and a new photocatalyst that can utilise old car battery acid to recycle plastics into and other useful chemicals, with Neil Withers and Patrick Walter.
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With the growing popularity of electric vehicles and the push for renewable sources of energy, interest in lithium batteries has surged. In particular, companies are seeking to make batteries safer, cheaper and more efficient. But now, the field is at something of a crossroads. Two cathode chemistries are leading the charge, each with their own strengths — and compromises. As competition intensifies, the question is: which one will define the next generation of batteries?
And, researchers at the University of Cambridge have created a photocatalyst that could revolutionise the world of battery recycling. Not only does the catalyst breakdown plastic into usable products, but the reaction also repurposes car battery acid, creating a synergistic, sustainable strategy to recycle polymers like polyurethane, polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) and nylon. It’s a striking example of how waste streams could be transformed into resources, but the approach also raises questions about scalability, safety and real-world impact.
To register for more Battery Week activities, check out our energy storage and batteries collection
We would love to hear your feedback on this new podcast, so if you have any questions or comments please get in touch.
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