LUCENT · Lithiophilic Copper Coatings and Engineered Cell Conditions for High-Performance Anode-Free Lithium Metal Batteries

The LUCENT project addresses urgent challenges in next-generation energy storage by developing Anode-Free Lithium Metal Batteries (AF-LMBs), a promising alternative to conventional Li-ion systems. With global demand for EV batteries projected to increase more than sixfold by 2030, reliance on critical raw materials such as lithium and graphite poses both supply chain and geopolitical risks. LUCENT proposes a novel strategy to overcome these limitations by engineering patterned silicon oxide (SiOx) coatings on copper current collectors, enabling uniform lithium deposition, dendrite suppression, and elimination of Li metal and graphite anodes. This approach aims to deliver high-energy-density pouch cells (≥400 Wh·kg⁻¹), improved cycle life (~500 cycles at 80% retention), and enhanced safety, while employing scalable, low-cost, and sustainable fabrication techniques.The project combines advanced thin-film deposition, electrochemical optimization, and state-of-the-art in-situ/post-mortem characterization (SAXS, tomography, NMR, HAXPES) to provide mechanistic insights into lithium nucleation and interface stability. Research will be conducted at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Prof. Louis Piper, leveraging world-class pilot-line facilities, and includes a six-month non-academic placement with Echion Technologies to strengthen industry-academia collaboration.LUCENT delivers scientific, technological, and societal impacts: advancing fundamental understanding of AF-LMBs; reducing dependence on ethically problematic raw materials; and supporting the EU Green Deal by enabling safer, lighter, and more sustainable batteries for electric mobility and grid storage. The fellowship will enhance the researcher’s expertise in materials engineering, cell prototyping, and open science practices, while fostering leadership, mentoring, and industrial engagement, laying a strong foundation for an independent research career in sustainable energy technologies.