new iisc supercapacitor can be game changer - home energy storage
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
By using simple spraying technology, a lightweight, compact and efficient super capacitor printed on flexible plastic sheets has been developed, which has the potential to become a game changer in the electronic world, because it makes these previously bulky sources of energy
Compact, flexible, and efficient super capacitors.
Think that the super capacitor is a device that can one day replace the batteries used in electric vehicles, mobile phones or laptops --
Because they charge very fast and work almost 100% more efficiently.
However, the researchers said that the super capacitors are usually bulky and can only store limited energy.
"It turns out to be challenging to reduce the size without losing efficiency.
They are also expensive and complex to make using existing methods.
In the current study, we have created a compact super capacitor by using a simple spraying technique to deposit a mixed nano-composite of alternating layers on a curved plastic sheet. The layer-by-
"The layer pattern increases the surface area and promotes the movement of the charge, making the device more efficient than existing super capacitors," the team said in a statement . ".
Abha Misra, associate professor of instruments and applied physics, said they can now print these super capacitors anywhere, on any substrate. “. . .
So they can be easily installed on any surface, like a simple spray on the wall, "said Misra, senior author of the study published on ACS Application Materials and Interfaces.
For example, in the camera flashlight, or in the dynamic brakes of cars, trains and elevators, the super capacitor helps to quickly release a lot of energy.
They not only charge quickly, but also last longer and are less toxic than batteries.
Unlike batteries that use a chemical reaction, the super capacitor uses static electricity to store the charge.
It has two electrodes immersed in the electrolyte, separated by a thin insulator.
When the electrodes are charged, an electric field is generated between them, which allows energy to be stored.
The larger the surface area of the electrode, the greater the charge that can be stored.
The current super capacitor cannot compete with the battery in terms of energy storage;
Super Capacitors with the same storage capacity as normal batteries will weigh up to 40 times.
In order to make the super capacitor light and efficient, the researchers tried to prepare the electrode using materials such as carbon nanotubes or reduced graphene oxide.
However, the use of traditional flat print to make them creates a large structure, making the surface area of charge movement smaller.
The process is expensive too, and timeconsuming.
As a result, Misra's team used a simple spraying technique to deposit a thin layer of alternating manganese
Carbon nanotubes coated (CNTs)
Reduction of graphene oxide (rGO).
"These layers are stacked on stainless steel masks mounted on standard PET plastic sheets.
"This type of pattern not only increases the surface area, but also strategically locates the material in order to move the cost effectively," the statement wrote . ".
The layered hybrid super capacitor shows a larger capacitor-
A measure of how much energy can be stored --
Compared to structures with only CNT, only rGO, or random mixing of two materials.
For the same size, it also shows a larger storage capacity than the existing super capacitors reported so far.
Bending of super capacitor
The printed paper also does not affect its performance, which makes it useful for flexible energy storage applications.