Johanna Xu awarded royal grant for research on structural batteries

"It was incredibly gratifying and surprising to get the news. What an honour! It gives me a great motivation boost to continue to drive our research forward," says Johanna Xu, researcher in Materials and Computational Mechanics at the Department of Industrial and Materials Science.

Johanna Xu has been awarded a grant of SEK 100 000 for her research on batteries that can not only store energy but also carry loads, so called structural batteries. Thanks to its multifunctional properties, the material has great potential to contribute to sustainable and efficient solutions for energy storage, including in the transport sector.

"For example, the roof of an electric car could store electrical energy while acting as a structural component. This is made possible by the fact that carbon fibres act as battery electrodes and are also an excellent structural material. When combined with a type of ion-conducting polymer, you get a multifunctional energy-storing composite material," says Johanna Xu.

Johanna Xu works in an interdisciplinary research group led by Leif Asp who is Professor at the Department of Industrial and Materials Science.

"Our common goal is to help reduce resource consumption and environmental impact while increasing the efficiency and performance of electrified load-bearing systems," she says.

The grant will be of great importance for the group's continued research and will enable further advances in structural batteries, according to Johanna Xu.

"This grant will allow me to go on exchange trips to develop our collaboration with US universities. We will also continue to develop prototypes for industrial contexts so that we can accelerate our research progress and increase our chances of making a real difference in advancing sustainable energy storage technologies."

The grant will be awarded at a reception in the Bernadotte Library in Stockholm on 10 June 2024.

More info

The King Carl XVI Gustaf Foundation's 50th Anniversary Fund for Science, Technology and the Environment aims to promote research, technological development and entrepreneurship that contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity. To be awarded a grant from the Foundation, you need to be nominated.

• Read more about the King Carl XVI Gustaf 50th Anniversary Fund for Science, Technology and the Environment (in Swedish)(Opens in new tab)

• batteries
• materials science
• sustainability
• Department of Industrial and Materials Science