Computational modelling of structural batteries accounting for stress-assisted convection in the electrolyte
Journal article, 2022

Structural batteries consist of carbon fibres embedded in a porous structural battery electrolyte (SBE), which is composed of two continuous phases: a solid polymer skeleton and a liquid electrolyte containing Li-salt. In this paper we elaborate on a computational modelling framework to study the electro-chemo-mechanical properties of such structural batteries while accounting for the combined action from migration as well as stress-assisted diffusion and convection in the electrolyte. Further, we consider effects of lithium insertion in the carbon fibres, leading to insertion strains. The focus is placed on how the convective contribution to the mass transport within the SBE affects the general electro-chemo-mechanical properties. The numerical results indicate that the convective contribution has only minor influence on the multifunctional performance when the mechanical loading is caused by constrained deformation of constituents during electro-chemical cycling. However, in the case of externally applied mechanical loading that causes severe deformation of the SBE, or when large current pulses are applied, the convective contribution has noticeable influence on the electro-chemical performance. In addition, it is shown that the porosity of the SBE, which affects the effective stiffness as well as the mobility and permeability, has significant influence on the combined mechanical and electro-chemical performance.

Stress-assisted convection

Electro-chemo-mechanical processes

Li-ion based structural batteries

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Porous material

Author

David Carlstedt

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Kenneth Runesson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Fredrik Larsson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Vinh Tu

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Jänicke Ralf

Technische Universität Braunschweig

Leif Asp

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

International Journal of Solids and Structures

0020-7683 (ISSN)

Vol. 238 111343

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Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Innovation and entrepreneurship

Areas of Advance

Transport

Energy

Materials Science

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

Composite Science and Engineering

Condensed Matter Physics

Infrastructure

C3SE (Chalmers Centre for Computational Science and Engineering)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2021.111343

More information

Latest update

3/2/2022 2