Researchers At Chalmers University Of Technology Have Successfully Made Batteries Made Of Carbon Fiber Composites

Chalmers University of Technology Technology) researchers have successfully manufactured a battery made of carbon fiber composite materials. This battery is as hard as aluminum, and its energy density is high enough to be used for commercial purposes. When cars, aircraft, ships or computers are made of materials that have both the functions of batteries and load-bearing structures, the weight and energy consumption will be greatly reduced.

The most powerful battery in the world

Manufacturing vehicles or electronic products using materials that are both used as batteries and structural components can significantly reduce weight and energy consumption. A research group of Charms University of Technology in Sweden has made significant progress in the field of massless energy storage. Their newly developed structural battery may halve the weight of notebook computers and other devices, make mobile phones as thin as credit cards, and extend the range of electric vehicles by 70% after a single charge.

Richard, a researcher of Charles Holmes and the main author of a scientific article published in Advanced Materials Chaudhary explained: "We have successfully manufactured a battery made of carbon fiber composite materials. Its hardness is as high as aluminum, and its energy density is enough for commercial use. Like human bones, this battery has multiple functions at the same time."

The research on structured batteries at Chalmers University has been going on for several years, and it also cooperates with researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. This breakthrough took place in 2018, when Leif Professor Asp and his colleagues showed how hard and solid carbon fibers can store electricity chemically, which has attracted global attention. According to Physical World, the discovery that carbon fiber can be used as the electrode of lithium ion battery is one of the top ten scientific achievements this year.

Lighter weight and higher efficiency

Since 2018, the research team has made great progress in improving stiffness and energy density. In 2021, they reached a key milestone. The battery can provide 24Wh/kg energy density, equivalent to about 20% of the capacity of typical lithium-ion batteries. Now, they have increased this number to 30Wh/kg. Although still lower than current commercial batteries, the benefits of weight reduction create a new kind of power. Since the battery is part of the vehicle structure, it requires less energy in general.

Professor Leif, Department of Industry and Materials Science, Chalmers Asp said: "If we want to save energy and consider future generations, it is natural to invest in light energy efficient vehicles. We have calculated electric vehicles, and the results show that if they have competitive structural batteries, their driving time can be 70% longer than now."

For vehicles, strength is critical to meeting safety standards. The structural battery developed by the team has significantly improved the stiffness, and increased the elastic modulus from 25 gigapapa to 70 gigapapa (GPa). This means that the material can withstand the load as effectively as aluminum, while being much lighter.

"As far as multi-function performance is concerned, the new battery is twice as good as the previous battery, which is actually the best battery in the world," commented Asp, who has been involved in structural battery research since 2007.

Commercialization progress

From the beginning, the ultimate goal is to achieve a performance level suitable for commercialization. With the continuous research, through the establishment of Chalmers Venture Company Sinonus in Boras, Sweden AB， Closer connection with the market.

Despite the progress made, more engineering work is needed to expand production from small laboratories to mass production for consumer electronics or automobiles.

　　Leif Asp said: "It is conceivable that a mobile phone or laptop like a credit card, which weighs only half of the current weight, can be realized most quickly. It may also be that components such as electronic equipment in cars or aircraft are powered by structural batteries. This will require a lot of investment to meet the challenging energy demand of the transportation industry, but this is also where the technology can play its greatest role."