Cambridge University spinoff Molyon has a fairly spartan website, featuring only its name, slogan, and contact information. But the company's innovators have an energizing story to tell surrounding the mission to bring their next generation lithium-sulfur batteries to market successfully.
And if the team sees its cathode project to fruition, the webpage might soon be filled with big headlines regarding the battery tech.
To begin with, the startup has landed more than $4 million in first-round funding to jump-start the work, geared to unlock sulfur's potential in pack chemistry, according to reports from TechCrunch and EU-Startups.
Lithium-sulfur batteries have the ability to rival, or even replace, the costly lithium-ion units that power our electric vehicles and other tech, thanks to an abundant core ingredient reported on by AZoNano.
Sulfur can provide more energy storage per pound and has a more secure supply chain than rare materials used in today's batteries. Costly metals in common packs are often secured through sometimes problematic foreign trade. That's partly why sulfur tech can be cheaper, lighter, and safer, all per TechCrunch and AZo.
The big hiccup has been degradation during cycling, resulting in packs that only last a few cycles, TechCrunch continued.
"We need a next generation — a step change in performance — to enable us to do more and to get to that journey toward net zero," Molyon CEO Ismail Sami said in the story.
Molyon's answer is somewhat incorporated in its name. The team developed a substance called metallic molybdenum disulfide, or MoS2, for short. It serves as a material in the battery's cathode, according to TechCrunch.
When batteries operate, ions move between the anode and cathode through a substance called electrolyte, per a U.S. Energy Department fact sheet. This is true for lithium-sulfur and lithium-ion packs.
🗣️ If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you?
🔘 Cost 💰
🔘 Battery range 🔋
🔘 Power and speed 💪
🔘 The way it looks 😎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
MoS2 is a common, highly conductive additive that stabilizes the chemistry inside the pack, providing fantastic performance over hundreds of cycles, Sami said in the online publication.
The innovation could be game-changing for battery performance, ushering in next-level tech.
"I have to charge my phone numerous times, sometimes, in a day. There's still 'range anxiety' when people look at buying an electric vehicle. And so lithium-ion batteries, they're really hitting this 'glass ceiling' in performance," Sami said in the TechCrunch story.
An effective, cheaper battery can help lower EV prices, expanding the adoption of cleaner rides. A tax break of up to $7,500 at purchase and recurring fuel savings worth around $1,500 a year are already strong incentives to switch. That's not to mention the planetary and health benefits from nixing exhaust from your travels.
Sulfur batteries were first developed in the 1960s, per TechCrunch. Cambridge's research into them started about 15 years ago. Smartphone-sized prototypes garnered double the energy of traditional packs, spurring the spinoff, the story added.
Now Molyon is focused on building a production facility and commercializing its battery. Use in EVs, drones, and other tech is possible, per the article.
"What we're focused on with this capital is to scale up that material, scale up the cathode — which is really our source, our secret sauce, our breakthrough in the lithium-sulfur battery," Sami said.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
