DataVXACS Energy LettersPaper
journal article·2025-02-14Open access

Self-Heating Conductive Ceramic Composites for High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage

Lin Yang, Peng Peng, Nathaniel Weger, Sean Mills, Clément Messeri, Akanksha K. Menon, Steven Zeltmann, Finn Babbe, Qiye Zheng, Chaochao Dun, Chuan Zhang, Jeffrey J. Urban, Andrew M. Minor, Ravi Prasher, Hanna Breunig, Sean Lubner

ACS Energy Letters· Volume 10· Issue 2
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Source abstract

Abstract

The absence of affordable and deployable large-scale energy storage poses a major barrier to providing zero-emission energy on demand for societal decarbonization. High temperature thermal energy storage is one promising option with low cost and high scalability, but it is hindered by the inherent complexity of simultaneously satisfying all of the material requirements. Here we design a class of ceramic–carbon composites based on co-optimizing mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. These composites demonstrate stability in soak-and-hold tests and direct self-heating up to 1,936 °C and 750 thermal cycles from 500 to 1,630 °C without degradation. This thermal performance derives from their composition and microstructural design as verified by in situ high-temperature transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. They offer both higher energy density and lower cost than conventional storage technologies with a projected system Levelized Cost of Storage below the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2030 target 5 ¢/kWh (electric).
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

Ceramics & glassesComposites

OpenAlex topics: Thermal properties of materials · Phase Change Materials Research · Thermal Expansion and Ionic Conductivity

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, College of Engineering

Peking University

Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

State Key Laboratory of Mesoscience and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of California Berkeley

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry

George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

Chemical Sciences Division, Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Molecular Foundry

Insitute of Energy

Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Division of Materials Science and Engineering

Boston University

Funding

Basic Energy Sciences · Division of Materials Research · Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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