Structural principle of power storage battery

What are structural batteries?

This type of batteries is commonly referred to as “structural batteries”. Two general methods have been explored to develop structural batteries: (1) integrating batteries with light and strong external reinforcements, and (2) introducing multifunctional materials as battery components to make energy storage devices themselves structurally robust.

Do structural batteries improve energy storage performance?

Utilizing structural batteries in an electric vehicle offers a significant advantage of enhancing energy storage performance at cell- or system-level. If the structural battery serves as the vehicle's structure, the overall weight of the system decreases, resulting in improved energy storage performance (Figure 1B).

Can material development improve the mechanical properties of structural batteries?

The material development can help enhance the intrinsic mechanical properties of batteries for structural applications but require careful designs so that electrochemical performance is not compromised. In this review, we target to provide a comprehensive summary of recent developments in structural batteries and our perspectives.

Do structural batteries increase energy density?

However, the potential gain in energy density of externally reinforced structural batteries is limited by the additional mass of reinforcement and its mechanical properties, whereas integrated multifunctional structural components inside the battery ideally do not add extra weight to it.

Can structural composite batteries store electric energy and carry mechanical loads?

In this perspective, the idea of manufacturing structural composite batteries capable of storing electric energy and, at the same time, carrying mechanical loads is one of the most appealing applications of multifunctionality. Two main approaches have already been investigated.

What are the strategies for structural batteries?

Table 1 provides a summary of different strategies for structural batteries and their performance achievements. Table 1. Summary of strategies for structural batteries and performance achievements. Young’s modulus (E), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), flexural modulus (E f), flexural strength (σ f), flexural rigidity (D).