New Silicon Supercapacitor that can power your phone for days
Imagine there is a technology that allows us to use our mobile phones for days or even weeks without frequent charging, what wondrous thing would that be! Scientists in Vanderbilt University have achieved something near to this. They have designed a new Silicon Supercapacitor which can make this possible.
The idea of using silicon for making supercapacitors is a very new idea which is rejected by many scientists. But assistant professor Cary Pint says that they have found a simpler way to do it. Supercapacitors store electricity by accumulating ions on the surface of two plates, already absorbed in an electrolyte solution. Since the charge storing capacity is a direct function of the net area of the plates, these are usually coated with highly porous materials, such as activated carbon. They can’t match the energy storage capacity of Lithium Ion batteries, but can absorb and release the charge they produce more easily hence guaranteeing longer life span.
Pint’s team coated silicon with a few nanometres of carbon in graphene form which made the surfacestabilised, enough to store energy. Results were astonishing as they were 40 times as much compared to the regular uncoated porous silicon and other commercial supercapacitors. The applications of this kind of device could be many such as use them in solar cells which can store the energy during the day and use it during the nights when the consumption is at maximum. It is believed that this could have interesting repercussions all over the silicon industry.
New Silicon Supercapacitor that can power your phone for days
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