In this paper, we report on a multifunctional battery assembly, which possesses a
balanced combination of energy storage capability and resistance to electrical
failure under mechanical impact loading. The Granular Battery Assembly (GBA)
presented here exhibits a mechanical response that emerges from features of
granular and cellular media. We demonstrate that for the specific GBA embodiment
considered in the present study, the electrical reliability following a
mechanical loading event is substantively increased compared to that of plain
battery cells. The increased reliability is due to the sacrificial material
elements interspersed between the battery units, attributing energy absorption
and local stress limiting.