Weight reduction and improved energy efficiency are two of the major challenges facing the aeronautics industry. The RE-CELL project is developing innovative supercapacitors and structural batteries based on recycled carbon fibre, which can store energy while forming part of the aircraft structure itself.

Aviation faces major limitations in going electric because of battery weight and energy density. RE-CELL addresses this challenge by developing structural composites capable of storing energy, thereby eliminating separate systems and optimising the aircraft’s overall weight.

One of the project’s distinguishing features is the use of recycled carbon fibre as the basis for developing these new materials. To achieve this, the project is developing advanced fibre recycling and treatment processes, integrating them into polymer matrices capable of providing structural and electrochemical performance.

The project addresses not only the development of new materials, but also some of the main scientific challenges that have so far limited the real-world application of structural batteries, including the development of functional solid electrolytes, the variability of recycled fibres and the complexity of the combined mechanical and electrochemical behaviour.

It will begin with solutions targeting non-critical applications, such as cabin-lighting systems, laying the groundwork for broader integration in the future, and culminate in the manufacture and validation of a full-scale demonstrator integrated into a component linked to an aircraft landing gear. 

RE-CELL is part of the 2023 Public-Private Partnership programme, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and co-funded by the European Union.