TY - JOUR AU - Lin Yang AU - Peng Peng AU - Nathaniel Weger AU - Sarah Mills AU - Clément Messeri AU - Akanksha K Menon AU - Steven Zeltmann AU - Finn Babbe AU - Qiye Zheng AU - Chaochao Dun AU - Chuan Zhang AU - Jeffrey J Urban AU - Andrew M Minor AU - Ravi S Prasher AU - Hanna Breunig AU - Sean D Lubner AB -

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).

BT - ACS Energy Letters DA - 27/01/2025 DO - 10.1021/acsenergylett.4c03270 N2 -

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).

PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) PY - 2025 SP - 1002 EP - 1012 T2 - ACS Energy Letters TI - Self-Heating Conductive Ceramic Composites for High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c03270 SN - 2380-8195, 2380-8195 ER -