# Battery week 2026: The EV cathode race & battery-recycling | The chemical breakdown podcast

An episode of [The chemical breakdown & Chemistry in its element](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1162733995), 13 May 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/chemistryinitselement/Battery_week_2026__The_EV_cathode_race__battery-recycling_photocatalysts.mp3?dest-id=405840

This week, we are celebrating Chemistry World's Battery Week with a special battery-themed episode! We discuss the race between cathode materials for electric vehicles and a new photocatalyst capable of turning plastic waste into hydrogen and value-added chemicals, with Neil Withers and Patrick Walter. A race between competing battery cathode materials is heating up, the winner of which will shape the future of electric vehicles. But which will come out on top? And, we discuss a new photocatalyst that could change the way we recycle plastics and battery acid, demonstrating how waste streams could be transformed into resources. We explore what this could mean for building a truly circular economy. To register for more Battery Week activities, check out: https://www.chemistryworld.com/collections/energy-storage-and-batteries

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