Structural Batteries Based on Solid Ferroelectric Electrolytes ^†

In the way of moving from fossil fuels towards sustainable sources of energy, batteries are playing a crucial role in various technologies due to preferences including environmental friendliness, sustainability, and high energy density. Generally, batteries are essential for hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles.

Structural batteries, as a new generation of batteries, should become safer, lighter, more efficient, and eco-friendlier when battery and structure are able to play a symbiotic role.

Lithium-based structural batteries have some drawbacks, such as safety problems and costs, that encourage researchers to seek an alternative with potentially higher abundancy and safety.

Sodium-ion batteries, the closest in technology and chemistry to today’s lithium-ion batteries, are promising alternatives in situations where the total weight is not important but the safety, cost, and abundancy are vital.

This work aims to develop and study electrochemically sodium-ion (Na⁺)-based ferroelectric-electrolyte structural batteries with no sodiated electrodes upon fabrication. The alkali metal may plate on the electrode depending on the moment of the cycle: to charge corresponds with plating on the negative electrode, and to discharge on the positive. The Na metal becomes immediately protected by the electrolyte or an oxide layer. The pair of electrodes used, Zn (−)//Cu (+) or Al (−)//Cu (+), have a double function as current collectors simplifying while reducing the costs even further. A version with carbon as the positive electrode, with little or no copper, may also be used.

Structural batteries may, in the future, substitute battery packs if performing as aimed and mitigate the deficit of mechanical equilibrium introduced by heavy weight concentration with the displacement of the center of mass in vehicles such submarines, bicycles, drones, and airplanes.