Oxis Energy Research Articles

Business Roundup

BUSINESS Business Roundup ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2021, 99 (29), p 17August 9, 2021Cite this:C&EN 99, 29, 17AbstractWestlake Chemical is buying Marietta, Ohio–based Dimex, which makes products like landscape edging and industrial matting from postindustrial recycled polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and thermoplastic elastomers. The business has sales of about $100 million per year. Ineos has sold its sulfur chemicals business to WeylChem. The business has 400,000 metric tons of sulfuric acid and oleum capacity in Bilbao, Spain. Nutrien , a nitrogen fertilizer maker, is working with the shipping company Exmar to build a vessel fueled by low-carbon ammonia. The companies hope to launch the vessel as early as 2025. BASF and Eni will jointly research a catalytic hydrogenation process to make propyl alcohol from glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel production. Propyl alcohol can replace some of or all the gasoline in most engines without modification. Johnson Matthey has bought the assets and intellectual property of the defunct Oxis Energy. Though Oxis made lithium-sulfur batteries, Matthey plans to insteadView: PDF | Full Text HTML

Oxis Energy files for bankruptcy

Oxis Energy files for bankruptcy

Oxis Energy files for bankruptcy

Oxis Energy files for bankruptcy

Lithium-sulfur battery in luxury yachts

Oxis Energy, a British start-up developing lithium-sulfur batteries, has secured a 10-year, $5 million contract to supply the high-end boat builder Yachts de Luxe with its technology. Yachts de Lux...

Oxis moves on Li-S batteries

Oxis Energy, a UK battery materials start-up, says it is fitting out a factory in Port Talbot, Wales, so it can begin the world’s first mass production of electrolyte and cathode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries. Products made at the Port Talbot plant will supply a Li-S battery-cell facility in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais that Oxis is building jointly with the state’s government. Oxis has taken a 15-year lease on the Port Talbot facility. Activity at the site will create several hundred jobs within the next 10 years, the company says. On June 6—the same day Oxis announced its plans—Ford confirmed that in 2020 it will close its car engine plant just 22 km away in Bridgend, Wales, with the loss of over 1,700 jobs. Lithium-sulfur batteries have a higher theoretical energy density than lithium-ion batteries and thus could be suited to powering electric vehicles. Oxis says it has

Negative Electrodes for Longer Life, High Energy Li-S Batteries

As we approach the limits of lithium-ion batteries, new alternative chemistries are required[1]. Those that involve the sulfur conversion reaction at the positive electrode are among the most promising to move beyond Li-ion[2]. The conversion reaction of sulfur to form lithium sulfide is characterized by a high theoretical specific capacity of 1672mAh g-1, translating in a theoretical energy density of c.a. 2500 Wh kg-1, a value 2.5 times higher than that of commercial state-of-the-art Li-ion cells, using transition metal oxide based cathodes[3]. There are well-documented challenges associated with the traditional Li-S system which have been demonstrated to restrict the practical energy density and the cycle life[4]. Soluble polysulfides are generally formed, resulting in the shuttling mechanism, a major issue causing low coulombic efficiency, high self-discharge rates and negative electrode corrosion[4]. This reaction is also associated with large volume changes. This can lead to cell failure, due to the alteration of the cathode and anode structure and the favoured formation of lithium dendrites[5]. Strategies to enhance cycle life, while maximizing practical energy density, require a holistic approach. This includes optimization of the positive electrode (e.g., selection of conversion reaction catalyst, use of polysulfide adsorbents, binder selection); the negative electrode (e.g., lithium coating, functionalization and protection); the separator (e.g. functional barriers and polymeric membranes); the electrolyte (e.g. use of alternative solvents and salts, additives). This work will focus on the recent negative electrode advances at OXIS Energy Ltd, the pioneer in the research and development of large-scale, high-energy, longer cycle life lithium-sulfur batteries. [1] D. A. J. R. Ronald M. Dell, Lithium Batteries, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2013. [2] B. Scrosati, J. Hassoun, Y.-K. Sun, Energy Environ. Sci. 2011, 4, 3287. [3] M. S. Whittingham, Proc. IEEE 2012, 100, 1518. [4] A. Manthiram, Y. Fu, S. H. Chung, C. Zu, Y. S. Su, Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 11751. [5] X. Liu, J.-Q. Huang, Q. Zhang, L. Mai, Adv. Mater. 2017, 29, 1601759.

Sputter-Coated Li Electrodes for High Performance Li-S Batteries

Li-S technology stands out as a potential alternative for Li-ion batteries due to the improved energy density, particularly in applications where the specific energy density is important [1,2]. OXIS Energy is currently developing Li-S batteries that outperform other battery technologies available in the market nowadays. Among the different challenges to obtain a high-performance Li-S battery, the issues related to metallic Li electrode are a limiting factor [3]. Among others, the continuous degradation reactions on Li surface and dendrite formation result in poor cycle life and arise safety hazards. Different approaches have been proposed to overcome these effects, such as the use of additives on the electrolyte, the development of structured composite Li anode or the formation of an artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) [3,4]. Direct deposition of protective coatings on the surface of Li electrodes by means of Magnetron Sputtering is an easy and potentially scalable method to successfully produce thin and homogeneous layers with upgraded properties as an artificial SEI [5]. In this work current research activities in sputter deposited coatings being developed at OXIS Energy will be described, focusing both on the deposition process of coating materials and the electrochemical response of coated electrodes. [1] Manthiram, Arumugam, et al. "Rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries." Chemical reviews 114.23 (2014): 11751-11787. [2] Fotouhi, Abbas, et al. "Lithium-Sulfur Battery Technology Readiness and Applications—A Review." Energies 10.12 (2017): 1937. [3] Cheng, Xin-Bing, Jia-Qi Huang, and Qiang Zhang. "Li metal anode in working lithium-sulfur batteries." Journal of The Electrochemical Society 165.1 (2018): A6058-A6072. [4] Cheng, Xin‐Bing, et al. "A review of solid electrolyte interphases on lithium metal anode." Advanced Science 3.3 (2016): 1500213. [5] Li, Juchuan, et al. "An artificial solid electrolyte interphase enables the use of a LiNi0. 5 Mn1. 5 O4 5 V cathode with conventional electrolytes." Advanced Energy Materials 3.10 (2013): 1275-1278.

Oxis raises funds for Li-S battery cells

Oxis Energy has raised a total of about $30 million from Safran, Aerotec Brazil, Arkema, and Samsung Ventures for its lithium-sulfur battery cell technology. The Oxford, England-based company, which was founded in 2004, says it will use the funds to commercialize and produce battery cells at a pilot manufacturing plant in Brazil. Oxis produces its own components, including the Li-S cathode, ceramic Li-S passivation layer, and nonflammable electrolyte. The combination results in a battery with a much higher energy density than traditional Li-ion batteries, Oxis says, and the ability to withstand extreme abuse, including punctures from nails or bullets. Oxis is now aiming to double the cells’ cycle life to 500 cycles by limiting lithium anode degradation. Potential markets for the cells include aviation, defense, and heavy electric vehicles such as aircraft, buses, and trucks. Partnerships with the investors will help Oxis improve “the energy-density characteristics, reliability, safety, and longevity

Electrolyte Additives for Lithium Metal Anodes and Rechargeable Lithium Metal Batteries: Progress and Perspectives.

Lithium metal (Li0 ) rechargeable batteries (LMBs), such as systems with a Li0 anode and intercalation and/or conversion type cathode, lithium-sulfur (Li-S), and lithium-oxygen (O2 )/air (Li-O2 /air) batteries, are becoming increasingly important for electrifying the modern transportation system, with the aim of sustainable mobility. Although some rechargeable LMBs (e.g. Li0 /LiFePO4 batteries from Bolloré Bluecar, Li-S batteries from OXIS Energy and Sion Power) are already commercially viable in niche applications, their large-scale deployment is hampered by a number of formidable challenges, including growth of lithium dendrites, electrolyte instability towards high voltage intercalation-type cathodes, the poor electronic and ionic conductivities of sulfur (S8 ) and O2 , as well as their corresponding reduction products (e.g. Li2 S and Li2 O), dissolution, and shuttling of polysulfide (PS) intermediates. This leads to a short lifecycle, low coulombic/energy efficiency, poor safety, and a high self-discharge rate. The use of electrolyte additives is considered one of the most economical and effective approaches for circumventing these problems. This Review gives an overview of the various functional additives that are being applied and aims to stimulate new avenues for the practical realization of these appealing devices.

Lithium sulfur overtaking lithium ion?

U.K. battery materials start-up Oxis Energy says it has developed a prototype lithium-sulfur battery cell with an energy density of 425 watt-hours per kilogram, a level significantly higher than that of lithium-ion cells currently used to power electric cars. Oxis’s CEO, Huw Hampson Jones, anticipates the firm will have hiked the energy density of its cells to 500 Wh/kg by the end of 2019 and that commercialization will occur in the next two to three years. “The case for investing in lithium-ion gigafactories is a fool’s paradise,” he says.

Sulfur-based battery firms secure cash

Two firms vying to develop lithium-sulfur batteries, which could be more energy-dense and cheaper to make than today’s lithium-ion batteries, have received major boosts to their funding. Baseload Renewables, a 2017 spin-off from MIT, has raised $7.4 million from an undisclosed investor. Baseload will use the money to advance its lithium-sulfur flow batteries, which are designed to meet demand spikes on electricity grids. Baseload’s batteries feature cheap, readily available sulfur dissolved in water as the anode. The firm anticipates that its technology will enable batteries to be made for between 10 and 20% of the cost of equivalent lithium-ion batteries. The firm raised almost $2 million from MIT’s technology incubator, the Engine, when it launched last year. Meanwhile, U.K.-based Oxis Energy, a developer of batteries featuring a lithium anode and a sulfur-based cathode, says it will receive $5 million from Aerotec, a Brazilian private equity fund. The Aerotec investment will

Business Roundup

BUSINESS Business Roundup ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2017, 95 (37), p 13September 18, 2017Cite this:C&EN 95, 37, 13AbstractSolvay will start producing polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) at its site in Augusta, Ga., next year to meet growing demand from the aerospace industry. The firm already makes polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and other high-end polymers at the facility. Clariant has formed a joint venture with Tiangang Auxiliary to make ultraviolet light stabilizers in China’s Hebei province. A multi-million-dollar facility, to come on-line in 2019, will meet demand for the stabilizers from China’s textile and auto industries. Bayer has sold 19 million shares in Covestro, its former materials and plastics business, for $1.4 billion. The sell-off reduces Bayer’s stake in Covestro by 9.4% to 31.5%. MycoTechnology, a food technology start-up based in Aurora, Colo., has raised $35 million from undisclosed investors in a second round of funding. The company’s organic, powdered mushroom mycelium product is used to block bitter flavors of foods, beverages, and natural noncaloric sweeteners. Oxis Energy, a British lithium-sulfur battery materialsView: PDF | Full Text HTML

Battery firm Oxis opens testing center

Oxis Energy has opened a test center in Abingdon, England, where it will develop its lithium-sulfur battery chemistry and technology. Most portable electronics and electric cars run on lithium-ion batteries, but Oxis says its rechargeable Li-S batteries offer higher theoretical specific energy and improved safety in applications including aviation and electric vehicles.

High specific energy Lithium Sulfur cell for space application

The battery energy density remains a key parameter accounting for the satellite mass budget. As illustration to this, the rechargeable battery still represents 100 to 200 of kilograms for a typical Eurostar 3000 satellite, which can represent up to 5% of the total mass, and about 100 kilograms for the next meteorological satellite program MetOp-SG. Any reduction in weight in these applications has therefore significant financial benefits, considering that the launch cost for such a satellite can be around 10k€/kg.Lithium-ion technology represented a revolution in terms of specific energy compared to Ni-Cd and is currently the most used and well suited for spacecraft. But it has also many drawbacks like price, some safety issues and its toxicity. Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) cells are likely to become the next generation of energy storage to replace them.One of the reasons is that sulfur is an abundant element so it’s more affordable than cobalt used in Li-Ion cells. On top of that, Li-S cells are safer and more environmentally friendly. But the main advantage of this technology is the high energy density: around 5 times higher than Li-Ion cells.The major obstacle for application is due to dissolved polysulfide shuttling between anode and cathode. This phenomeno leads to permanent loss of active mass from the cathode into the electrolyte and onto the Li metal anode (passivating the Li anode with insoluble Li 2 S), severe self-discharge, low efficiency and fast capacity decay.Airbus DS has been testing and characterizing prototype Li-S cells manufactured by OXIS Energy Ltd. since 2014, demonstrating the potential and fast evolution of the cells performance. This paper presents the last test results on a set of different batches provided by OXIS and performed at Airbus DS premises in the frame of an ESA Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI).

Beyond Lithium-Ion: Lithium- Sulphur Batteries for Space?

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are established as the state of the art [1] rechargeable batteries for terrestrial and space applications today since the launch of Proba 1 satellite in 2001. [2]At the moment there is strong interest by all stakeholders related or influenced by the battery markets on two systems: The rechargeable Li-air (Li-O2 ) and Li-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries. There have been many studies on both technologies during the past decades but since major challenges are still to be overcome, none of the two technologies has been yet commercialized.Li-S is believed to reach mass commercialization towards the end of the decade whereas Li-O2 is expected to be available after 2030. Therefore, discussion to follow hereby will focus on Li-S.Li-S cells are regarded as one of the most promising systems for next generation batteries due to their high theoretical capacity, the abundant and low cost sulfur resources and lithium-ion comparable cathode production techniques. [RD3] If Li-S batteries were to be successfully developed and reach their theoretical maximum, batteries over six times lighter than the conventional lithium-ion ones, would be available. [RD4]Sion Power in the US and OXIS Energy Ltd. in Europe are the major companies producing Li-S cells.Prototype Cells were procured from Oxis Energy, UK and characterisation tests were performed at ESA-ESTEC Battery Life Test Facility in Noordwijk, Netherlands. The results are presented here, mainly in order to enhance basic understanding on existing technology in Europe and show relevant trends.Consequences at power system level, if this technology was to be adopted for satellite applications, are also addressed in this paper.

Lithium-Sulfur Battery: Chemistry, Challenges, Cost, and Future

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery has higher theoretical and experimental specific energy. There- fore, Li-S battery is the most capable energy storage option for electrical vehicles and power grid. However, it has life cycle issue to prevent its usage in electrical vehicles. Li-S battery need to im- prove life cycle issue in order to work with current battery applications. Li-S battery has complex chemistry and process to discharge and charge Li-S cell. The cost and manufacturing process of Li-S batteries will be one of the biggest challenge for commercial transformation from research and development stage. The Oxis Energy is developing Li-S battery for past 10 years and they have goal price US$250/kWh by 2020 with high volumes and more cheaper compare to lithium-ion battery.

Lithium-sulfur to power e-scooter

Oxis Energy, a U.K.-based battery developer, is partnering with Denmark’s Lithium Balance to make a lithium-sulfur battery for electric scooters. The pair aims to introduce the battery in China by ...

An Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study on a Lithium Sulfur Pouch Cell

Introduction Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries are an emerging energy storage technology, which has started recently to enter the market. This battery chemistry is appealing because of its high theoretical specific capacity (1675 Ah/g) and high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh/kg). [1]. On the other hand, the developed Li-S batteries are characterized by fast capacity fading, high self-discharge, and poor coulombic efficiency [2]. Therefore, to analyze and assess the feasibility of using this new battery chemistry for various applications and for the improvement of the chemistry, a comprehensive understanding of the battery static and dynamic behavior is required. Thus, in the present work, we have performed an in-depth characterization and investigation of the impedance of a Li-S pouch cell by means of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. Few similar studies are available in the literature, but the vast majority were performed on Li-S coin cells [1], [3]. Experimental For this study a pre-commercial Li-S pouch cell manufactured by Oxis Energy was used (Fig. 1) The main electrical parameters of this Li-S battery cell are summarized in Table I. In order to characterize and analyze the impedance behavior of the considered 3.4Ah Li-S pouch cell, EIS measurements were carried out considering a broad range of state of charges (SOCs), temperatures, and load currents. All the EIS measurements were performed in galvanostatic mode for a frequency sweep between 6.5 kHz and 10 mHz, considering 48 frequency points. For exemplification, the influence on the impedance spectra of the SOC and temperature are presented in Fig. 2 and Fig 3, respectively. Results To further analyze the data obtained from the EIS measurements, the impedance spectra were curve fitted with the equivalent electrical circuit (EEC) presented in Fig. 4. Thus, it was possible to assign different segments of the impedance spectra to different chemical/ physical processes and evaluate kinetic parameters (e.g., ionic diffusion, charge-transfer etc.). A comparison between the Li-S battery cell’s measured and estimated impedance spectra is presented in Fig. 5. The results are showing that the selected EEC is able to fit very accurately the measured Nyquist curves. For exemplification of the curve fitting process, the obatined values of Rs, R1, R2, and R3 for different SOC levels and T=25°C are presented in Fig. 6.

Challenging Lithium-Ion Batteries

THere was an odd scene in an engineering building in Oxfordshire, England, recently when a dozen journalists ignored five bronze C-X75 Jaguar supercars set to appear in “Spectre,” the next James Bond film. Instead, the reporters were huddled around a prototype electric-powered bicycle. While the C-X75s are among the 1.2 billion combustion engine cars on the planet, the electric bike, developed by Oxfordshire start-up Faradion, is the first vehicle ever to be powered by a battery using sodium-ion chemistry. A few days later and in the same region of England—which boasts numerous technology start-ups attracted by the University of Oxford— Oxis Energy was showing off a developmental technology of its own: a lithium-sulfur battery that powers an airport-style people carrier. Given the broken promises and collapsed business models that have dogged other battery start-ups in recent years, perhaps such advances are good enough. Moreover, Faradion and Oxis have identified chemical ...