A lithium-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode (cathode) to the positive electrode (anode) during discharge and back when charging. Layered oxides containing cobalt and nickel are the most studied materials for lithium-ion batteries. They show a high stability in the high-voltage range but cobalt has limited availability in nature and is toxic, which is a tremendous drawback for mass manufacturing. Mixtures of cobalt, nickel, and manganese are often used…

Africa has 17% of the world’s population whilst around 600m of its people still live without access to electricity. It has enormous potential driven by its large young and dynamic population and numerous natural resources. Amongst its most abundant resources is the largely untapped solar energy potential. Africa receives many more hours of bright sunshine during the course of the year than any other continent on Earth. The distribution of solar resources across Africa is fairly uniform with most of…