PITTSBURGH, Jan. 31, 2024 – Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR), a global leader in engineered materials, has been selected for multimillion-dollar funding under the Department of Energy (DOE) Fiscal Year 2023 Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA-0002893). This funding will accelerate the development of Coherent’s patented chemical immobilization technology for lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cells to meet next-generation electric vehicle (EV) requirements.

“The innovations behind sulfur immobilization are based on more than a decade of research by Coherent to make sulfur cathodes and Li-S batteries a commercial reality,” said Rob Murano, Senior Director, Product Development and Commercialization. “This selection recognizes the unique ability of Coherent’s technology to unlock the potential of sulfur cathodes – storing more energy in less weight at lower cost.”

Under this three-year program, Coherent will use the DOE funds to optimize its patented immobilized sulfur materials and cathodes for EV requirements. Coherent will build demonstration cells that target energy densities exceeding today’s best-in-class EV batteries while retaining more than 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 recharging cycles. Designing and manufacturing stable cathodes based on sulfur has long been a goal of battery researchers, as sulfur provides both higher performance and lower cost compared with current cathode materials such as nickel and cobalt. As such, sulfur cathodes have the potential to both secure supply chains and support the strong and growing EV market.