Together with Ionotec, a leader in solid electrolyte manufacture and sodium battery development, Lucideon will undertake feasibility studies to assess whether its Flash Sintering technology can manufacture beta-alumina solid electrolytes, a critical component of sodium batteries.

With the world’s supply of lithium expected to be exhausted between 2025 and 2040, sodium batteries are a key technology to replace current lithium-ion technology.

Lucideon's Flash Sintering technology offers the potential of reducing the cost of ceramics manufacture via a reduction in furnace temperature and sintering times.  It should also allow the improvement of the properties of beta-alumina, increasing ceramic strength, allowing both thickness reduction and lower resistance.

Stuart MacLachlan, head of R&D and project lead at Lucideon, said: "We’re excited to be involved in this project that aims to create a unique technology for exploitation in the UK.  If we're able to show that Flash Sintering technology could be used to make sodium batteries, then the benefits to the UK are immeasurable: the UK could take significant shares of the EV battery market which in turn would lead to the development of new manufacturing companies and new jobs."

The project is part of the ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge. Further information about Lucideon's services for the Energy sector can be found at www.lucideon.com/energy.