Batteries pack in lighter composites
Structural batteries made from fibrous composites show promise as a dual-function lightweight component for vehicles, says a Swedish research group.
In a bid to decrease battery weight, the team at the Swerea Swedish Institue of Composites (SICOMP) and Imperial College London, UK, has developed two devices to store and discharge electrical energy, based on a gel electrolyte or a solid electrolyte, using ‘multifunctional’ materials.
The researchers stacked a laminate structure made up of three weaves, with each weave modelled symmetrically and balanced.
The mechanical load carrying electrolyte was made of an ion conductive polymer matrix, containing lithium to create high energy density. To reinforce the matrix, a material consisting of three different types of fibres was added. Aluminium in the cathode, glass fibre in the seperator and carbon fibre in the anode.
Lead Researcher at Swerea SICOMP, Leif Asp, explains, ‘Polymer composite materials offer an ideal opportunity to develop novel multifunctional materials. Similar research has been conducted in both Aberdeen and the USA. However, we are trying to make more use of carbon fibres, in particular, for lithium intercalation. This graphite structure provides high mechanical stiffness and good electron conductivity. It has a maximum allowable strain of one per cent and a strength of 350Mpa’.
Carbon fibres have typically been developed for mechanical loading, Asp says, the team is uniquely using it to perform as a current collector in the anode.
He claims this composite material could be further used to replace the metal flooring in hybrid/electric car wheel wells, an area which Volvo are further investigating. He says, ‘Replacing a metal wheel well with a composite one could reduce the number of batteries needed to power an electric motor and create a 15% reduction in the car’s overall weight, improving the potential for hybrid cars.’
He also sees applications for the composite in car bonnets, mobiles and laptops that can be powered by their own casing.
The next phase of research will look at increasing energy storage by growing carbon nanotubes on the materials surface.
Asp anticipates the use of press forming for large-scale manufacture.
Materials World Magazine, 02 Sep 2010
In a bid to decrease battery weight, the team at the Swerea Swedish Institue of Composites (SICOMP) and Imperial College London, UK, has developed two devices to store and discharge electrical energy, based on a gel electrolyte or a solid electrolyte, using ‘multifunctional’ materials.
The researchers stacked a laminate structure made up of three weaves, with each weave modelled symmetrically and balanced.
The mechanical load carrying electrolyte was made of an ion conductive polymer matrix, containing lithium to create high energy density. To reinforce the matrix, a material consisting of three different types of fibres was added. Aluminium in the cathode, glass fibre in the seperator and carbon fibre in the anode.
Lead Researcher at Swerea SICOMP, Leif Asp, explains, ‘Polymer composite materials offer an ideal opportunity to develop novel multifunctional materials. Similar research has been conducted in both Aberdeen and the USA. However, we are trying to make more use of carbon fibres, in particular, for lithium intercalation. This graphite structure provides high mechanical stiffness and good electron conductivity. It has a maximum allowable strain of one per cent and a strength of 350Mpa’.
Carbon fibres have typically been developed for mechanical loading, Asp says, the team is uniquely using it to perform as a current collector in the anode.
He claims this composite material could be further used to replace the metal flooring in hybrid/electric car wheel wells, an area which Volvo are further investigating. He says, ‘Replacing a metal wheel well with a composite one could reduce the number of batteries needed to power an electric motor and create a 15% reduction in the car’s overall weight, improving the potential for hybrid cars.’
He also sees applications for the composite in car bonnets, mobiles and laptops that can be powered by their own casing.
The next phase of research will look at increasing energy storage by growing carbon nanotubes on the materials surface.
Asp anticipates the use of press forming for large-scale manufacture.
Materials World Magazine, 02 Sep 2010
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