The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) along with a Bengaluru-based company will be developing advanced thermal materials and thermoelectric devices for improving the storage and conversion in aviation batteries.
JNCASR has tied up with Dreamfly Innovations Pvt. Ltd which specialises in thermal battery technology which is expected to help translate fundamental materials research into deployable thermal technologies for real-world aviation platforms.
This collaboration is expected to address critical challenges in drone performance, safety and operational endurance.
Major bottleneck
According to the Department of Science and Technology, effective heat management remains a major bottleneck for high-energy-density lithium-based batteries used in the aviation industry.
Excessive heat generation during high-power operation can compromise efficiency, reduce battery lifespan, and pose serious safety risks.
“While passive thermal management strategies such as Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are attractive due to their low weight and zero power consumption, their widespread adoption has been limited by the inherently poor thermal conductivity of conventional PCMs. As a result, heat generated by the battery is not absorbed rapidly enough, leading to temperature rise and accelerated degradation of battery components,” the department said.
It further added that a common approach to overcome this limitation involves incorporating high-thermal-conductivity additives to form composite PCMs. “However, such composites often suffer from long-term stability issues, including additive agglomeration during repeated thermal cycling, which ultimately degrades performance and reliability,” it added.
MoU signed
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two which will not only help in developing advanced thermal materials and thermoelectric devices for improving thermal management (storage and conversion) in the aviation batteries, but also address current challenges through materials-level innovation.
While Prof. Kanishka Biswas’s laboratory in JNCASR will share its expertise in materials design, synthesis, advanced characterisation, and thermal transport measurements, Dreamfly Innovations’ will share its proficiency in aviation battery engineering and system-level integration.
Thermal conductivity
The advanced thermal materials will be engineered for high thermal conductivity to rapidly absorb excess heat during high-load operation, maintain battery temperatures within optimal operating windows, and enable lightweight thermal regulation without compromising long-term stability.
Published – January 27, 2026 09:05 pm IST
