HYBRID SUPERCAPACITOR

Researchers develop a hybrid supercapacitor with a large storage capacity

Made from graphene, the material could be a major step towards energy storage solutions of the future

While a lot of research has been done in the field of energy storage & supercapacitors individually, this recent research combines the properties of supercapacitors to develop a safer, extremely cheap & environmentally friendly storage solution. Scientists have broken barriers recently in producing exotic superconductors a little more easily and cheaply, which could go a long way in developing futuristic technologies like quantum computing.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology in collaboration with IIT Jammu (India) & TU Munich (Germany) have developed a supercapacitor-based energy storage device that reaches an energy density close to that of nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH). So what’s the big deal? Traditionally, lithium batteries, which are used to charge things like smartphones and electric vehicles have high power densities. This means that they discharge over a longer duration, however, their drawback is the slow charging time.

Unlike lithium batteries, supercapacitors store energy statistically — charging and…