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RE-CELL to Develop RCF Structural Batteries, Supercapacitors for Aviation Electrification

Sofitec, Aimplas and I2con are combining materials design, multiphysics modeling and experimental validation to achieve a full-scale demonstrator that can store more energy on aircraft without the involved weight penalty.
Weight reduction and improved energy efficiency are two major challenges facing the aeronautics industry as it transitions toward more sustainable models. Against this backdrop, the RE-CELL project is developing an innovative generation of supercapacitors and structural batteries based on recycled carbon fiber (rCF), capable of storing energy while simultaneously forming part of the aircraft structure itself.

The initiative, coordinated by international aerostructures manufacturer Sofitec (Sevilla, Spain) with the participation of Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre (Valencia, Spain) and I2con (Valencia, Spain), proposes a paradigm shift in the design of aeronautical components through the use of multifunctional composite materials that combine mechanical properties with energy-storage capacity, thereby eliminating separate systems and optimizing an aircraft’s overall weight.

“The major challenge in aviation electrification is not only to store more energy, but to do so without adding a weight penalty. Structural batteries make precisely that possible, as the component itself performs both a structural and an energy function,” explains Esteban Castro, R&D engineer at Sofitec. These solutions will initially target noncritical applications, such as cabin lighting systems, laying the groundwork for broader integration in the future.

One of the project’s distinguishing features is the use of rCF as the basis for developing these new materials, which supports waste reduction in composites-intensive sectors and progress towards a circular economy model. To achieve this, the project is developing advanced fiber recycling and treatment processes, as well as their integration into polymer matrices so that the materials are capable of providing structural and electrochemical performance.

RE-CELL is not just addressing materials. It is also considering other limiting factors behind structural batteries, including the development of functional solid electrolytes, the variability of recycled fibers, and the complexity of combined mechanical and electrochemical behavior.

“One of the project’s main advances is to address phenomena that, until now, have been studied separately, such as ionic conduction and the material’s mechanical behavior. This integrated approach is essential to make the leap toward real applications,” notes Florin Ardelean, a researcher in computational modeling and simulation at I2con. 

The project will culminate in the manufacture and validation of a full-scale demonstrator integrated into a component linked to aircraft landing gear. This will make it possible to assess the technology’s performance under representative conditions and advance toward future industrialization.

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

Fecha publicación: 24/07/2026

Fuente: Composites World (Products)



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