Researchers at Texas A&M University have made a breakthrough in developing simple composite materials that can store energy as heat. These innovative materials store heat like a battery stores electricity.

Storing energy in this way is not new, but the relatively simple design of these composites could open the door to their use in industries ranging from heating buildings to powering electric vehicles. The new design should enable us to use our energy resources more efficiently.

Previous research has looked at the efficiency of thermal energy storage systems, but none have offered insight into how to accelerate, optimize, and predict the performance of such materials, as University of Texas scientists do.

The scientists focused on the design of phase transition composite materials that combine metals with high thermal conductivity to store thermal energy. The goal was to create a material that strikes a balance between energy density and power density, providing efficient energy storage (and rapid charging) without adding extra weight or mass. Essentially, the challenge was to develop a material that could store a lot of energy and also charge it quickly, similar to an electric car.

The researchers were able to create a way of designing these materials that takes into account how hot the material will be, how much heat it can store by size, and how much heat it can store by weight.