Evgeny Antipov, a professor at Skoltech and Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Skoltech Distinguished Professor Artem Abakumov received a Vyzov Prize for creating a fundamental and practical framework for the development and production of electrode materials for next-generation metal-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized the world of technology, leading to the ubiquitous use of smartphones and other portable devices, and making electric vehicles economically feasible. But lithium has its drawbacks, including high cost, limited reserves, and environmentally hazardous production.

Of the three key elements of the battery — cathode, anode and electrolyte — it is the cathode’s parameters that determine the battery’s capacity, charge/discharge rate, and lifetime. The development of new advanced cathode materials remains a significant challenge.

Equally important is the search for alternatives to lithium. For example, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries promise to be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and available for mass production. However, sodium-ion batteries are inferior to lithium-ion batteries in terms of capacity and durability.

Evgeny Antipov and Artem Abakumov decided to look for new solutions that would improve existing technologies and pave the way for Russia’s technological independence in the field of battery systems. They focused on creating new cathodes that could outperform their existing counterparts in terms of capacity, stability, and number of charge cycles.

The professors developed new nickel-rich cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries and discovered sodium- and vanadium-phosphate-based cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries that far surpassed previously known materials. They also developed new methods for producing anode materials.

The scientists have thoroughly tested their technology and set up a local pilot line to produce up to ten tons of lithium-ion battery materials per year. This will not only confirm the efficiency of the new technology in practice, but also will lay the groundwork for the launch and scale-up of commercial production of a new generation of batteries.

Today Skoltech is the largest owner of intellectual property in the field of oxide cathode materials. The institute’s Center for Energy Science and Technology and Skoltech startups have been actively working for several years on the tasks set out in the roadmap titled “Technologies for creating electricity storage systems, including portable ones” and a concept for the development of production and use of electric transport in Russia until 2030.

While one of the goals of the roadmap is to produce cells with a maximum energy density of 260 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), the Skoltech teams are already producing prototype cells with a specific energy intensity of over 250 Wh/kg, which could increase to 300 Wh/kg if a new generation of materials is used. The Skoltech-born Rustor startup, which has the status of a small technology company, is contributing its expertise to the project. With the production line currently under construction, Rustor plans to produce and market new nickel-rich cathode materials for electric vehicles.

About the winners

Evgeny Antipov, born in 1958, received a Candidate of Science degree in 1986 and a Doctor of Science degree in 1997. Currently, Evgeny Antipov is a Corresponding Member of RAS, the head of the Department of Electrochemistry and a professor at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the MSU Faculty of Chemistry, and a professor at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).

Artem Abakumov, born in 1969, received a Candidate of Science degree in 1997. He is currently a professor and the director of the Center for Energy Science and Technology at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).