‘Massless’ Energy - Structural Power Composites
Dr Emile S. Greenhalgh CEng FIMMM,
Imperial College London, UK ([email protected])
Notable contributions from Dr Jesper Ankersen, Prof Leif Asp, Prof A Bismarck, Tony
Carlsson, Dr Quentin Fontana, Prof A. Kucernak, Dr Mayur Mistry, Dr Sang Nguyen,
Dr Sherry Qian, Prof M. Shaffer, Dr J Steinke and Dr Natasha Shirshova
Weight and volume are at a premium in many applications, and any material that does not
contribute to the load-carrying capacity is structurally parasitic. Whilst current engineering design
pursues optimisation of the individual components the alternative is to formulate multifunctional
materials which can perform two or more functions simultaneously. The key here is not simply to
bind two disparate components together (such as in a sandwich structure), but to produce a single
coherent material that inherently performs both roles. Such materials offer considerable savings in
system mass/volume and thus significant performance benefits. This design methodology is in its
infancy and faces significant design and material synthesis challenges, requiring the combination
of disparate and often cross-cutting phenomena.
The presentation will focus on the research on structural power composites conducted by the
multidisciplinary group at Imperial College London, but will include developments from the EU
Funded STORAGE programme, particularly those by Swerea SICOMP in structural capacitors and
batteries. The research has entailed enhancement of the surface area of the reinforcement carbon
fibres (electrodes) through various routes. This includes carbon aerogel (CAG) reinforcement of
carbon fibres which has the potential to have a significant impact on conventional composites. In
parallel, multifunctional matrices (solid electrolytes) have been developed in which the balance
between mechanical and electrical performance have been tailored. These constituents have been
brought together to produce a range of structural power composites, the electrical and
mechanical performance of which are presented here. Finally, the engineering methodologies for
utilising these new materials and the subsequent demonstration as multifunctional automotive
components is presented. Further details of this work can be found here
(www3.imperial.ac.uk/structuralpowerstorage) and the material can be seen at
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2qpDPcO7vg). Although there are still considerable engineering
challenges which need to be addressed, such as durability and manufacturability, it is anticipated
that structural power materials will revolutionise transport applications and mobile devices.
Dr Emile S. Greenhalgh is a Reader in Composite Materials and has worked in polymer composites
for over 26 years. In particular, he is internationally recognised as the expert in failure analysis
(fractography) of composites. Finally, he leads the structural power research at Imperial College
and headed the European Union FP7 programme (STORAGE) on structural power materials for
hybrid cars.