Research teams from the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Texas-Austin developed a new material using graphene, a carbon-based nanomaterial, to increase the storage performance of supercapacitors.
The University of Texas-Austin team produced the nanomaterial by chemically modifying or 'activating' graphene platelets with the use of potassium hydroxide. The process has been used to create other forms of activated carbon, which have pores that increase surface area and are used in filters and other applications, including supercapacitors.
Supercapacitors are similar to batteries in that both store electric charge. But unlike batteries which make use of chemical reaction to store electric energy, supercapacitors withhold charge in the form of ions on the surface of the electrodes, similar to how static electricity works.
Most supercapacitors cannot hold nearly as much charge as batteries, limiting their use to small applications such as mobile electronic devices. But the new nanomaterials are capable of soaking up electric charge at a rate previous supercapacitor materials have been unable too. This and its ease of manufacture have the potential to enable the development of a viable supercapacitor storage system that can be used in electric vehicles or to store renewable energy.
"This material, being so easily manufactured from one of the most abundant elements in the universe, will have a broad range that impacts on research and technology in both energy storage and energy conversion," University of Texas research team leader Rodney Ruoff said.
The Department of Energy team working at the Brookhaven National Laboratory is currently studying the developed nanomaterial to better understand its potentials for power storage use. The group is collaborating with Mr. Ruoff on learning about the nanomaterial.
"Were still working with Ruoff and his team to pull together a complete description of the material structure. Were also adding computational studies to help us understand how this three-dimensional network forms, so that we can potentially tailor the pore sizes to be optimal for specific applications, including capacitive storage, catalysis, and fuel cells," Mr. Stach said.
Graphene's viability for electrical applications has made it a candidate for further development into a marketable energy production and storage material. Its recent application for energy use is fusing the carbon-based nanomaterial with other nanoparticles to improve fuel cell catalysts. (A. N. P. Cabrera).
Source: Apec-vc
Photo: Photo from Brookhaven National Laboratory’s site
