Dr Elizabeth (Lizzie) Driscoll - University of Birmingham

Research Fellowships 2025

Dangerous fluorine-containing compounds have widespread use in commercial lithium-ion batteries, from the electrodes’ binder (polyvinylidene fluoride; PVDF) to the electrolyte salt (LiPF6). These substances have severe implications to environmental and human health, including fluoropolymer contamination in water, soil and food, as well as the generation of hazardous hydrofluoric acid during thermal runaway events, degradation and recycling of these batteries. With a prospective EU ban looming on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the battery industry urgently needs to change lithium-ion battery development, manufacture and recycling. Fluorine significantly impacts the recycling process, not only in safety but also in making it harder to reclaim critical materials effectively and efficiently for reuse. Hence, a design-for-recycling approach needs to be implemented from the offset.

Dr Elizabeth (Lizzie) Driscoll’s Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham will aim to deliver the world’s first fluorine free battery, which will be recyclable. The research will be focused on next-generation fast-charging batteries, which are yet to consider a circular material approach.

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