Engineering materials that can store electrical energy in structural load paths can revolutionize lightweight design across transport modes. Stiff and strong batteries that use solid‐state ...electrolytes and resilient electrodes and separators are generally lacking. Herein, a structural battery composite with unprecedented multifunctional performance is demonstrated, featuring an energy density of 24 Wh kg−1 and an elastic modulus of 25 GPa and tensile strength exceeding 300 MPa. The structural battery is made from multifunctional constituents, where reinforcing carbon fibers (CFs) act as electrode and current collector. A structural electrolyte is used for load transfer and ion transport and a glass fiber fabric separates the CF electrode from an aluminum foil‐supported lithium–iron–phosphate positive electrode. Equipped with these materials, lighter electrical cars, aircraft, and consumer goods can be pursued.
Structural battery composites offer mass‐less energy storage for electrical vehicles and devices. Structural batteries are enabled by the recently discovered multifunctional properties of carbon fibers and the development of a structural electrolyte matrix material. The emergent multifunctional properties reach a level that allows lightweight vehicles and innovations across and beyond all transport modes.
An investigation is conducted into the potential for sodiated PAN-based carbon fibers (CFs) to be used in multifunctional actuation, sensing, and energy harvesting. Axial CF expansion/contraction is ...measured during sodiation/desodiation using operando strain measurements. The reversible expansion/contraction is found to be 0.1% - which is lower than that of lithiated CFs. The axial sodiation expansion occurs in two well-defined stages, corresponding to the sloping and plateau regions of the galvanostatic cycling curve. The results indicate that the sloping region most likely corresponds to sodium insertion between graphitic sheets, while the plateau region corresponds to sodium insertion in micropores. A voltage-strain coupling is found for the CFs, with a maximum coupling factor of 0.15 ± 0.01 V/unit strain, which could be used for strain sensing in multifunctional structures. This voltage-strain coupling is too small to be exploited for harvesting mechanical energy. The measured axial expansion is further used to estimate the capacity loss due to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, as well as capacity loss due to sodium trapped in the CF microstructure. The outcomes of this research suggest that sodiated CFs show some potential for use as actuators and sensors in future multifunctional structures, but that lithiated CFs show more promise.
Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are emerging as an alternative battery technology to lithium ion batteries because they have the potential of having a similar energy density and the advantage of sodium ...being more environmentally friendly than lithium. Hard carbon has been shown to be one of the best candidates as anode material for SIBs. However, several challenges need to be solved before commercializing SIBs such as finding cheaper and more efficient precursors to produce hard carbon and increasing the stability of hard carbon electrodes with the electrolyte. Herein, we report a new bio-based free standing electrode made from lignin based electrospun carbon fibers (LCFs) with a high specific capacity of 310 mAh.g−1 and a first coulombic efficiency of 89%. By using high precision coulometry on the LCFs at different carbonization temperatures, it was found that the cycling stability was dependent on the carbonization temperature. The results show that LCFs are a viable and renewable source to be used as anodes in future SIBs.
Conductive biofoams made from glycerol-plasticized wheat gluten (WGG) are presented as a potential substitute in electrical applications for conductive polymer foams from crude oil. The soft ...plasticised foams were prepared by conventional freeze-drying of wheat gluten suspensions with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black (CB) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the conductive filler phase. The change in conductivity upon compression was documented and the results show not only that the CNT-filled foams show a conductivity two orders of magnitude higher than foams filled with the CB particles, but also that there is a significantly lower percolation threshold with percolation occurring already at 0.18 vol%. The rGO-filled foams gave a conductivity inferior to that obtained with the CNTs or CB particles, which is explained as being related to the sheet-like morphology of the rGO flakes. An increasing amount of conductive filler resulted in smaller pore sizes for both CNTs and CB particles due to their interference with the ice crystal formation before the lyophilization process. The conductive WGG foams with CNTs were fully elastic with up to 10% compressive strain, but with increasing compression up to 50% strain the recovery gradually decreased. The data show that the conductivity strongly depends on the type as well as the concentration of the conductive filler, and the conductivity data with different compressions applied to these biofoams are presented for the first time.
Electric Vehicles
In article number 2000093 by Leif E. Asp and co‐workers, renewable electrical energy stored in the body‐in‐white and interior panels of future electric cars. Structural batteries ...made from carbon fiber‐reinforced composites reduce vehicle weight to increase efficiency and driving range.
Conductive biofoams made from glycerol-plasticized wheat gluten (WGG) are presented as a potential substitute in electrical applications for conductive polymer foams from crude oil. The soft ...plasticised foams were prepared by conventional freeze-drying of wheat gluten suspensions with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black (CB) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the conductive filler phase. The change in conductivity upon compression was documented and the results show not only that the CNT-filled foams show a conductivity two orders of magnitude higher than foams filled with the CB particles, but also that there is a significantly lower percolation threshold with percolation occurring already at 0.18 vol%. The rGO-filled foams gave a conductivity inferior to that obtained with the CNTs or CB particles, which is explained as being related to the sheet-like morphology of the rGO flakes. An increasing amount of conductive filler resulted in smaller pore sizes for both CNTs and CB particles due to their interference with the ice crystal formation before the lyophilization process. The conductive WGG foams with CNTs were fully elastic with up to 10% compressive strain, but with increasing compression up to 50% strain the recovery gradually decreased. The data show that the conductivity strongly depends on the type as well as the concentration of the conductive filler, and the conductivity data with different compressions applied to these biofoams are presented for the first time.
Conductive biofoams made from glycerol-plasticized wheat gluten (WGG) are presented as a potential substitute in electrical applications for conductive polymer foams from crude oil.
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