The performance demands of future battery technology has sparked a myriad of research in the development of lithium ion batteries, be it at the material, cell or pack level. Graphene, amongst other advanced materials, has shown to improve certain cell characteristics such as power density and cycle life, however the next challenge lies in translating this performance to commercially viable cells. This presentation will explore the challenges and prospects of battery anode development at the materials level, incorporating research undertaken by William Blythe in this field.

Jennifer Peake is currently the Technical Manager at William Blythe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synthomer. Her current role involves leading the R&D team and NPD programme, the team work on a breadth of materials to enable step-change technologies. Jennifer has experience across a range of R&D activities having spent a significant amount of time working on the commercialisation of graphene oxide for William Blythe and also establishing the current energy storage program running at the company.

William Blythe was founded in 1845, supplying inorganic dyes to the local textile industry in Northern England. Over the past 170 years, William Blythe has kept innovation in inorganic chemistry at its core, leading to several evolutions of the business. The current product portfolio is supplied globally and includes functional materials that are tailored for their application by controlling both the chemical and physical properties of the products. William Blythe run an extensive R&D programme endeavouring to address key sustainability challenges in areas such as energy storage, energy harvesting and energy efficiency.