Multifunctional composites: Coupled Electro-chemo-mechanical processes, their effects and utilization

Research Project, 2025 – 2028

A structural battery composite is a multifunctional material that can simultaneously store electrical energy and carry mechanical loads. Structural batteries will allow radical weight savings for any electrically powered structural system, from mobile phones to aircraft and also allow for additional functionalities
The proposed research by Chalmers and KTH aims at studying fundamental issues underlying the performance of structural battery composites. This fundamental knowledge will be crucial for future performance improvements but will also open up for new concepts and increased multifunctionality. It also aims at exploring completely new functionalities provided by the physical characteristics of redox batteries. It is envisaged that functions such as sensing, shape-morphing and energy harvesting can be added functions to a structural battery composite without added mass or extra peripherals such as wiring. Moreover, models will be created to support simulation including the coupled electro-chemo-thermo-mechanical processes on which all functions depend.
The proposed research is partitioned into three Research Tasks. The first entails measuring and detailed studies of the constituents and their interfaces. In a structural battery composites all constituents perform more than one function, and the interfaces are crucial for the performance of the material. Due to lithium insertion expansions damage may be initiated at the interfaces at very small scales. The second task consists of a systematic approach to explore additional functions with the aim to finally make one single material that has five distinct physical functions simultaneously. The third task is focused on multiphysics, multiscale, modelling including all the necessary and coupled physical processes entailed in the material: mechanical loads, redox reactions, diffusion, ionic and electric conductivities, expansions due to ion insertion, ohmic losses, etc.