Battery anxiety is a modern day problem for many of us. Mobile phone and wearable technologies are getting developed rapidly, but battery issues seem to be neverending. As phones and wearables are gettingΒ thinner, there needs to be a trade-off between battery life and design. Scientists are searching for a way to make a battery thatβs tiny yet capable of holding the charge for a long time. So, whatβs the solution?Β Supercapacitor.
Scientists have been researching on the use of nanomaterials to improve supercapacitors that could enhance or even replace batteries in electronic devices. But itβs not an easy task. Considering a typical supercapacitor, it must be a large one to store as much energy as aΒ Li-ionbattery holds.
To tackle the battery issue, a team of scientists at theΒ University of Central Florida (UCF)Β has created a tiny supercapacitor battery applying newly discovered two-dimensional materials with only a few atoms thick layer. Surprisingly,Β the new process created atΒ UCFΒ yields a supercapacitor that doesnβt degrade even after itβs been recharged/dischargedΒ 30,000Β times. Where a lithium-ion battery can be recharged less than 1,500 times without significant failure.
So, what else makes the supercapacitor special apart from their tiny size? Well, letβs hear it fromΒ Nitin Choudhary, a postdoctoral associate who conducted much of the research :
Supercapacitors are not used in mobile devices for their large size. But theΒ team at UCF has developed supercapacitors composed of millions of nanometer-thick wires coated with shells of two-dimensional materials. A highly conductive core helps fasttransfer for fast charging and discharging. And uniformly coated shells ofΒ two-dimensional (2D)Β materials produce high energy and power densities.
Scientists already knew 2D materials held great promise for energy storage purpose. But until theΒ UCFΒ developed the process for integrating those materials,Β it was not possible to realize that potential.Β Nitin ChoudharyΒ said,
Supercapacitors that use the new materials could be used in phones, wearables, other electronic gadgets, and electric vehicles. Though itβs not ready for commercialization yet. But the research team atΒ UCFΒ hopes this technology will soon end the battery problem of smartphones and other devices. So letβs wait awhile, and at the end of this year maybe youβll be using a new smartphoneΒ thatΒ can be charged in seconds and lasts for a week,Β who knows!
Source:Β THESE TINY BATTERIES CAN BE CHARGED IN SECONDS AND LAST FOR A WEEK