Energy-storage devices that perform multiple functions, such as powering a vehicle and letting it withstand mechanical loads, offer several potential benefits, as Natasha Shirshova explains
Consider an electric car. Whether your image is of a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla Model S or a BMW i3, such vehicles essentially consist of two main parts. There is an electrical part (the battery and the motor) and a structural part (the body of the car). The battery’s only job is to store and distribute electrical energy. Its structural function, as far as it has one, depends solely on the properties of its casing and is generally limited to protecting the battery itself. The car body, meanwhile, provides structural integrity but stores no electrical energy. In some circumstances, however, it may be possible (and indeed desirable) to combine these two aspects into a single material – one that can perform both structural and energy-storage functions.
To read more, click here.