A Battery That’s Tough Enough To Take Structural Loads

IEEE Spectrum  August 19, 2020 The main problem to overcome in load-bearing batteries is the tradeoff between electrochemical performance and mechanical strength. A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, Texas A&M University) used a solid electrolyte and covered the electrodes with a membrane whose nanostructure of fibers is derived from Kevlar. That makes the membrane tough enough to suppress the growth of dendrites. The researchers do not announce how many watt-hours his prototype stores per gram. Drones and other autonomous robots may benefit from the technology as their range is severely chained to their battery capacity…read more. […]