2024 roadmap for sustainable batteries
Authors: Titirici Magda , Johansson Patrik , Crespo Ribadeneyra Maria , Au Heather , Innocenti Alessandro , Passerini Stefano , Petavratzi Evi , Lusty Paul , Tidblad Annika Ahlberg , Naylor Andrew J , Younesi Reza , Chart Yvonne A , Aspinall Jack , Pasta Mauro , Orive Joseba , Babulal Lakshmipriya Musuvadhi , Reynaud Marine , Latham Kenneth G , Hosaka Tomooki , Komaba Shinichi , Bitenc Jan , Ponrouch Alexandre , Zhang Heng , Armand Michel , Kerr Robert , Howlett Patrick C , Forsyth Maria , Brown John , Grimaud Alexis , Vilkman Marja , Dermenci Kamil Burak , Mousavihashemi Seyedabolfazl , Berecibar Maitane , Marshall Jean E , McElroy Con Robert , Kendrick Emma , Safdar Tayeba , Huang Chun , Zanotto Franco M , Troncoso Javier F , Dominguez Diana Zapata , Alabdali Mohammed , Vijay Utkarsh , Franco Alejandro A , Pazhaniswamy Sivaraj , Grant Patrick S , López Guzman Stiven , Fehse Marcus , Galceran Montserrat , Antuñano Néstor 
Published: August 2024

Modern batteries are highly complex devices. The cells contain many components—which in turn all have many variations, both in terms of chemistry and physical properties. A few examples: the active materials making the electrodes are coated on current collectors using solvents, binders and additives; the multicomponent electrolyte, contains salts, solvents, and additives; the electrolyte can also be a solid ceramic, polymer or a glass material; batteries also contain a separator, which can be made of glass fibres, polymeric, ceramic, composite, etc. Moving up in scale all these components are assembled in cells of different formats and geometries, coin cells and Swagelok cells for funamental testing and understanding, and pouch, prismatic and cylindrical cells for application. Given this complexity dictated by so many components and variations, there is no wonder that addressing the crucial issue of true sustainability is an extremely challenging task. How can we make sure that each component is sustainable? How can the performance can be delivered using more sustainable battery components? What actions do we need to take to address battery sustainability properly? How do we actually qualify and quantify the sustainability in the best way possible? And perhaps most importantly; how can we all work—academia and battery industry together—to enable the latter to manufacture more sustainable batteries for a truly cleaner future? This Roadmap assembles views from experts from academia, industry, research institutes, and other organisations on how we could and should achieve a more sustainable battery future. The palette has many colours: it discusses the very definition of a sustainable battery, the need for diversification beyond lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the importance of sustainability assessments, the threat of scarcity of raw materials and the possible impact on future manufacturing of LIBs, the possibility of more sustainable cells by electrode and electrolyte chemistries as well as manufacturing, the important role of new battery chemistries, the crucial role of AI and automation in the discovery of the truly sustainable batteries of the future and the importance of developimg a circular battery economy.