Chalmers boosts solid state conformal battery performance
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have boosted the performance of a solid state conformal battery cell that uses carbon fibre to provide more strength and store energy.
The LFP conformal battery cell developed at Chalmers boosts the energy storage to 30Wh/kg with a semi-solid electrolyte, up from 24Wh/kg, using carbon fibre composite electrodes to provide strength. This is comparable to a lead acid battery but still a fraction of NMC lithium ion battery cells at 250Wh/kg.
“We have succeeded in creating a battery made of carbon fibre composite that is as stiff as aluminium and energy-dense enough to be used commercially. Just like a human skeleton, the battery has several functions at the same time,” said researcher Richa Chaudhary, who is the first author of a scientific article recently published in Advanced Materials.
The structural battery cell has significantly increased its stiffness, or more specifically, the elastic modulus, which is measured in gigapascal (GPa), from 25 to 70. The researchers see the structural strength of the battery as suitable for applications such as smart cards and consumer electronics.
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“In terms of multifunctional properties, the new battery is twice as good as its predecessor – and actually the best ever made in the world,” said research leader Leif Asp, professor at the Department of Industrial and Materials Science at Chalmers.
The conformal battery cell has carbon fibre as both the positive and negative electrodes – where the positive electrode is coated with lithium iron phosphate (LFP). In the previous battery, the core of the positive electrode was made of an aluminium foil.
In the anode the carbon fibre electrode acts as a reinforcement, as well as an electrical collector and active material. In the cathode it acts as a reinforcement, current collector, and as a scaffolding for the lithium to build on. As the carbon fibre conducts the electron current, the need for current collectors made of copper or aluminium, is reduced, which reduces the overall weight.
In the battery, the lithium ions are transported between the battery terminals through a semi-solid electrolyte, instead of a liquid one, which is challenging when it comes to getting high power and for this more research is needed. At the same time, this, along with the LFP materials, contribute to increased safety in the battery cell through reduced risk of fire.
The team also works with Chalmers Venture company Sinonus, based in Borås, Sweden, to commercialise the conformal battery cell technology. However, there is still a lot of engineering work to be done before the battery cells have taken the step from lab manufacturing on a small scale to being produced on a large scale.
“One can imagine that credit card-thin mobile phones or laptops that weigh half as much as today, are the closest in time. It could also be that components such as electronics in cars or planes are powered by structural batteries. It will require large investments to meet the transport industry’s challenging energy needs, but this is also where the technology could make the most difference,” says Asp.
Unveiling the Multifunctional Carbon Fibre Structural Battery
www.chalmers.se; www.sinonus.com
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