Structural Composite Batteries

A continuing program of research and development is devoted to the design, fabrication, and testing of polymeric composite- material devices that are multifunctional in the sense that they both store electrochemical energy and bear mechanical loads. It is anticipated that if designed to exhibit sufficient structural and energy efficiencies, these devices could enable significant reductions in the weights of systems in which they could be used, by supplanting electrically inert structural components and conventional batteries while providing supplementary power for lightload applications.