Building on the groundbreaking work of Gothenburg’s Chalmers University of Technology, a Swedish startup Sinonus wants to commercialize a new multifunctional carbon fiber composite that can function as a battery, hoping its technology can eliminate traditional battery packs in devices such as laptops, electric vehicles and airplanes.
The creation of carbon fiber provides structural strength, reduces weight and improves system performance by using existing mass to store energy. This trick is achieved by using carbon fibers as electrodes in a battery cell, combined with a specially developed electrolyte, to create lightweight, strong structures with integrated electrical storage.
As reported in New AtlasThis journey first began more than a decade ago when Volvo’s research in collaboration with Chalmers University identified carbon fibers with optimal electrical conductivity and structural stiffness. In 2022, Chalmers Ventures spun off the project into Sinonus, focusing on multifunctional materials to save resources.
Small matter of costs
Although current prototypes have lower energy density than traditional batteries, they offer advantages in safety and resource conservation. The company’s laboratory tests have already replaced AAA batteries with carbon electrode batteries in low-power applications. The next goal is to scale up for more demanding applications, such as IoT devices and eventually electric cars and airplanes.
“Storing electrical energy in carbon fiber may not be as efficient as traditional batteries, but because our carbon fiber solution also has a structural load-bearing capacity, very large gains can be achieved at the system level,” said Markus Zetterström, CEO of Sinonus.
There are still some fairly major challenges ahead, including achieving higher energy density and reducing costs. If New Atlas points out: “EV batteries themselves are expensive, but would replacing them with specially bonded electric-grade carbon fiber really be cheaper?”
However, Sinonus remains optimistic, pointing to studies suggesting that structural carbon fiber batteries can increase the range of electric vehicles by up to 70%, highlighting their potential for safer, more efficient energy storage.