Researchers from the University of Surrey and Augmented Optics Ltd. collaborated with the University of Bristol to develop a high energy density supercapacitor that could recharge mobile devices in just a few seconds.
The technology could impact numerous industries, including transport, aerospace, energy generation, and household applications. It could change electric cars as we know them, allowing them to recharge as quickly as it takes for a standard non-electric car to refuel with gas. This would cut the 6-8 hour process down significantly.
Supercapacitor buses are currently used in China, but they have a limited range. This new technology could allow them to travel much further between recharges. Rather than recharging every 2-3 stops, users would only need to recharge every 20-30 stops, taking only a few seconds.
The technology was selected from the fundamentals used to make soft contact lenses developed 40 years ago. Supercapacitors store energy using electrodes and electrolytes, and charge and deliver power quickly compared to standard batteries, which do so in a slower, more sustained method. Supercapacitors can charge and discharge very fast over large numbers of cycles. But, because of their poor energy density per kilogram, they have not until now been able to compete with traditional battery energy storage in several applications.
“There is a global search for new energy storage technology, and this new ultra capacity supercapacitor has the potential to open the door to unimaginably exciting developments,” said Dr. Brendan Howlin of the University of Surrey.
Source: Science Daily
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