Australian researchers are part of the global quest for better batteries and energy storage materials to help meet the world’s future energy demands, particularly for high-power applications such as electric cars. Sales of lithium-ion batteries are already worth around US$13 billion, mainly in consumer products, and electronics giant Sanyo predicted in 2011 that new applications could see sales triple to US$44 billion in 2015 with the three main market sectors being power storage, consumer electronics and vehicle applications.

Left: Rosalind Gummow, Neeraj Sharma and Helen Brand prepare for a powder diffraction experiment at the Australian Synchrotron.

Click here for more information about Neeraj Sharma from ANSTO in NSW and Rosalind Gummow from James Cook University (JCU) in Queensland, who are using synchrotron x-rays and neutron beam techniques to help them develop better electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries.