Bio-Inspired Electrodes Could Lead to Structural Batteries

Nov-27-19 Robust electrodes made to mimic mother-of-pearl could be used to create structural batteries for electric vehicles.

Incorporating the battery into the electric vehicle’s structure is an efficient way to keep its weight down, but typical energy storage materials are too brittle to make good structural materials. To overcome that limitation, a team led by Texas A&M University used dopamine—which mimics the proteins used by mussels to create a strong adhesive—to bond to graphene. They then added Kevlar to the mix, resulting in a strong and sturdy composite similar in structure to mother-of-pearl, known for its toughness. The material could be used to develop electrodes for energy-storing supercapacitors able to charge and discharge very quickly.

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