Imagine charging your computer in one minute, or imagining being able to fully power an electric car in 10 minutes: According to scientists, it can happen.
A team of researchers has discovered important data about how ions move through the tiny holes of a supercapacitor – an energy storage device capable of charging significantly faster than conventional batteries.
A study conducted by a team of scientists at the University of California in the United States, published on Friday in the scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’, says that this will soon be possible.
In their research, the scientists discovered how ions, the electrically charged particles in a battery, move through a complex network of tiny holes. The discovery could improve the efficiency of movement of ions in electrolytes and increase their speed, opening the door to the development of new supercapacitors with extremely short charging times.
Supercapacitors are capable of storing larger amounts of electrical energy than traditional capacitors, and can charge much more quickly compared to conventional batteries.
“There are many chemical engineering techniques used to study flow in porous materials such as oil reservoirs and water filtration, but they have not been applied to energy storage systems until now,” said Ankur Gupta, professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and lead author of the study.
This innovation is important not only for energy storage in vehicles and electronic devices, but also for power grids, as variations in energy demand require efficient storage to avoid waste during periods of low demand and ensure rapid supply during periods of high demand.
Supercapacitors, energy storage devices that rely on the accumulation of ions in their pores, have faster charge times and longer lifespans than batteries. “The main attraction of supercondensers is their speed,” says Gupta. “So how do we speed up its charging and energy output? Through more efficient movement of ions.”
“This is a big step we have taken in our work,” concludes Ankur Gupta. “We found the missing link.”
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