Scientists managed to increase the energy density of a supercapacitor 10 times using graphene

Supercapacitors are devices that are able to fully charge and release the stored energy almost instantly.

And they could replace all existing batteries if they were able to store significantly more energy.

So, an international scientific group has found a way to increase the capacity of supercapacitors by 10 times. I wonder how they did it? Let's start then.

What is the essence of development

So, a scientific group consisting of engineers from University College London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, unveiled its research to improve the efficiency of supercapacitors using films from graphene.

They managed to significantly increase the energy density in the process of adjusting the pore size in membranes exactly to the size of electrolyte ions.

So, using this technique, the international team managed to significantly increase the energy density.

For comparison. Existing fast charging solutions now boast an energy density of 5 to 8 watt-hours per liter. But the new development showed as much as 88.1 W / l. This is a record energy density for carbon supercapacitors, the scientists said.

What happened to create

The numbers are, of course, good, but you need to understand how much this is compared to other sources of energy.

So the resulting result of 88.1 W / L corresponds to the maximum energy density of lead-acid batteries, but they only charge for a very long time.

In addition, it was found that after 5,000 discharge-charge cycles, the energy intensity was maintained at 98% of the original.

It was also found during the experiment that even in the bent position, the efficiency of the created plates remained unchanged.

But, despite the solid pluses, there are a number of minuses. Let's talk about them now.

Cons of development

The first and most significant disadvantage. Despite the fact that it was possible to increase the energy density 10 times, it is still far from the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, which is 877.5 W / l.

The second disadvantage is that supercapacitors are prone to significant self-discharge.

That is, after a while, the fully charged supercapacitor will be completely discharged (which so far imposes significant restrictions on the possible field of application of the development).

And the third disadvantage is that graphene (which is used in development as the main material) is not yet produced on an industrial scale.

This means that with all the work done, it is not yet possible to fully commercialize supercapacitors, since their cost will be much higher than competitors.

Prospects of invention

Despite a number of disadvantages, the researchers are optimistic and believe that new supercapacitors will take their place in the global energy sector. This is a great prospect for miniature electronics and beyond.

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