Breakthrough in supercapacitors — instant charging, high capacity and 100+ thousand cycles will displace Li-ion

Researchers from South Korea have created a supercapacitor that can become a real alternative to Li-ion batteries.

It is noted that the new technology is based on the use of single-layer carbon nanotubes and a conductive polymer polyaniline, which allows us to solve one of the key problems of supercapacitors — low energy consumption. Compared to conventional Li-ion batteries supercapacitors are able to provide faster charging and higher power density. They are more durable for tens of thousands of charge-discharge cycles. 

Meanwhile, the relatively low power consumption limited the use of supercapacitors as an alternative Li-ion batteries in electric cars, gadgets, and drones. A team of researchers led by Dr. Bong-Cheol Koo and Dr. Seo-Gyun Kim from the Center for Research on Carbon Composite Materials at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Professor Yuanzhe Piao from Seoul National University (SNU) have created chemically interconnected single-layer carbon nanotubes with high conductivity and strength.

At the same time, the polyaniline molecules, evenly distributed over the entire area of the structure, retain their charges, significantly increasing energy density and power. Polyaniline is easy to process and relatively inexpensive for use in nanoscale structures. 

The fibrous structure of these carbon nanotubes simultaneously enhances the flow of electrons and ions, allowing the supercapacitor to store more energy and release it much faster. The supercapacitor has demonstrated stable performance even after more than 100 thousand charge-discharge cycles. It remains reliable even under high voltage conditions. This allows the device to replace or complement the Li-ion batteries. 

Another advantage of this supercapacitor is the high flexibility of the material, which can be folded and bent. This makes it ideal for use in portable electronic devices.

In addition, scientists have developed film structures based on this technology, which reduces production costs and simplifies the transition to mass production. In the future, it will be used as a key technology to enable the transition to a zero-carbon society in various industries, such as electric vehicles, robots, drones, and wearables.

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The results of the study were published in the journal Science

Source: TechXplore; Interesting Engineering