US scientists have produced a material that can be used to create supercapacitors that can store up to four times the energy of current versions. The new material offers great opportunities in electric cars, all kinds of appliances and more.
Supercapacitors are devices that can store electricity and charge and discharge quickly. They can’t store as much energy as a battery, but they have a larger capacity and usually last longer. The new material can store four times more energy than the best materials currently in use. It appears from Investigation From scientists at the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
As effective as possible
Scientists have used artificial intelligence to design the most efficient materials possible. The AI model eventually came up with a material with a capacitance of 570 farads per gram. Farad is the unit of electrical capacity.
Then they actually manufactured the materials and tested them. In the end, the AI turned out to be conservative in its predictions. The material’s capacity eventually reached 611 farads per gram, their paper reported in the journal Nature Communications.
What is also striking about this research is that it only took scientists three months to develop this material, whereas it would normally take at least a year if artificial intelligence was not used.
What is the benefit of it?
This new material can be used for multiple applications. Supercapacitors can be used in electric cars for regenerative braking. They store the energy released during braking and release this energy to help the car accelerate. This improves efficiency and extends brake life.
Unlike batteries, supercapacitors can be charged and discharged very quickly. This makes them suitable for applications that require fast power transfer, such as in electronic devices, camera flashes, or portable electronic devices. This property also makes it useful as a backup power source in emergency situations.
Buses and electric bicycles
They are also sometimes used in public transportation, such as electric buses and trams, because they can be quickly charged at each stop, allowing the vehicles to travel longer distances. There are also e-bikes with supercapacitors, such as e-bikes from Dutch company Ostrichoo.
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An example of a small, inexpensive supercapacitor
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