Experimental and computational characterization of carbon fibre based structural battery electrode laminae
Journal article, 2022

In this paper, electrode laminae consisting of carbon fibres embedded in structural battery electrolyte (CF-SBE electrodes) are characterized with respect to their multifunctional (i.e. combined electrochemical and mechanical) performance utilizing experimental and numerical techniques. The studied material is made from commercially available polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibres and a porous SBE matrix/electrolyte, which is composed of two continuous phases: a solid polymer skeleton (vinyl ester-based) and a Li-salt containing liquid electrolyte. Experimental and numerical studies are performed on CF-SBE electrode half-cells, whereby a coupled electro-chemo-mechanical finite element model is exploited. Results show that, similar to traditional batteries,
electrode thickness, transport properties of the electrolyte and applied current significantly affect electrochemical performance. For example, increasing the electrode thickness of the studied CF-SBE electrode from 50 μm to 200 μm results in a reduction in specific capacity of approximately 70/95% for an applied current of 30/120 mA g􀀀 1 of fibres, respectively. Further, Li-insertion induced longitudinal expansion of carbon fibre electrodesare video microscopically recorded during charge/discharge conditions. In liquid electrolyte the total/reversible longitudinal expansion are found to be 0.85/0.8% while for the CF-SBE electrode the reversible expansion is found to be 0.6%. The fibre expansion in the CF-SBE electrode gives rise to residual strains which is demonstrated numerically. We expect that the utilized computational framework and experimental data open a route to develop high-performing, both mechanically and electrochemically, carbon fibre based battery electrode laminae for future lightweight structural components with energy storage ability.

Multifunctional composites

Biomimetics

Electro-chemical behaviour

Carbon fibres

Electro-mechanical behaviour

Author

David Carlstedt

2D-Tech

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Florian Rittweger

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences

Kenneth Runesson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Adriana Navarro Suárez

Chalmers, Physics, Materials Physics

Johanna Xu

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

2D-Tech

Shanghong Duan

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Fredrik Larsson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Karl-Ragmar Riemschneider

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences

Leif Asp

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

2D-Tech

Composites Science and Technology

0266-3538 (ISSN)

Vol. 220 109283

Structural pOweR CompositEs foR futurE civil aiRcraft (SORCERER)

European Commission (EC) (EC/H2020/738085), 2017-02-01 -- 2020-02-28.

Realising Structural Battery Composites

European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) (FA8655-21-1-7038), 2021-08-01 -- 2024-07-31.

Structural battery composites for mass-less energy storage

Swedish National Space Board (2020-00256), 2021-01-01 -- 2023-12-31.

2D material-based technology for industrial applications (2D-TECH)

VINNOVA (2019-00068), 2020-05-01 -- 2024-12-31.

GKN Aerospace Sweden (2D-tech), 2021-01-01 -- 2024-12-31.

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Innovation and entrepreneurship

Areas of Advance

Transport

Energy

Materials Science

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

Vehicle Engineering

Composite Science and Engineering

Infrastructure

C3SE (Chalmers Centre for Computational Science and Engineering)

Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory

DOI

10.1016/j.compscitech.2022.109283

More information

Latest update

2/29/2024