MITRE's R&D in Nano-Enabled Power

MITRE's Nanosystems Group conducts a broadly-based research and development effort in the area of nano-enabled energy storage and power systems. These efforts include both reviews and analysis of the state-of-the-art in nano-enabled power and energy devices, as well as physical experimentation in MITRE's Nanotechnology-Biotechnology Laboratory.

Current MITRE projects include developing improved battery systems for communications and sensor technologies, and increasing the efficiency of portable power sources.

The motivation for these investigations is that conventional energy storage and power system technology has imposed a severe burden on the "SWaP" (Size, Weight, and Power) budgets of portable electronic systems. This problem has been exacerbated in recent years as the field of electronics has continued its exponential increase in capability and attendant power consumption, while portable energy sources have seen only modest improvement. However, recent advances in nanotechnology-enabled devices show much promise to dramatically reduce the size while increasing the energy and power densities of portable energy systems. Such improvements would assist greatly, and possibly solve the SWaP challenges associated with a number of critical applications.

Our efforts in nano-enabled power can be categorized into three primary areas:

• Review and analysis of state-of-the-art nano-enabled energy storage and power systems.
• Research and development of hybrid energy storage and power prototypes that combine the high energy densities of (nano-enabled) batteries with the high power densities of (super)capacitors.
• Independent verification and validation of the performance of nano-enabled energy storage and power systems developed for our government sponsors.

This research is conducted by MITRE senior scientists and student researchers through the Nanosystems Group Student Program.

• Links to other nano-enabled energy and power sites