Storage of Mechanical Energy Based on Carbon Nanotubes with High Energy Density and Power Density

Yunxiang Bai; Boyuan Shen; Shenli Zhang; Zhenxing Zhu; Silei Sun; Jun Gao; Banghao Li; Yao Wang; Rufan Zhang; Fei Wei

doi:10.1002/adma.201800680

Storage of Mechanical Energy Based on Carbon Nanotubes with High Energy Density and Power Density

Adv Mater. 2019 Mar;31(9):e1800680. doi: 10.1002/adma.201800680. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Authors

Yunxiang Bai^{1

2}, Boyuan Shen¹, Shenli Zhang¹, Zhenxing Zhu^{1

2}, Silei Sun¹, Jun Gao¹, Banghao Li¹, Yao Wang¹, Rufan Zhang¹, Fei Wei^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
² Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.

PMID: 30357976
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201800680

Abstract

Energy storage in a proper form is an important way to meet the fast increase in the demand for energy. Among the strategies for storing energy, storage of mechanical energy via suitable media is widely utilized by human beings. With a tensile strength over 100 GPa, and a Young's modulus over 1 TPa, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered as one of the strongest materials ever found and exhibit overwhelming advantages for storing mechanical energy. For example, the tensile-strain energy density of CNTs is as high as 1125 Wh kg^-1 . In addition, CNTs also exhibit great potential for fabricating flywheels to store kinetic energy with both high energy density (8571 Wh kg^-1 ) and high power density (2 MW kg^-1 to 2 GW kg^-1 ). Here, an overview of some typical mechanical-energy-storage systems and materials is given. Then, theoretical and experimental studies on the mechanical properties of CNTs and CNT assemblies are introduced. Afterward, the strategies for utilizing CNTs to store mechanical energy are discussed. In addition, macroscale production of CNTs is summarized. Finally, future trends and prospects in the development of CNTs used as mechanical-energy-storage materials are presented.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes; energy density; energy storage; mechanical energy; power density.

Publication types

Review