Supercapacitors

Background

Supercapacitors are essentially a cross between batteries and capacitors, combining their two most useful properties. They overcome a capacitors limited ability to store charge and a battery’s limited capacity for rapid energy delivery. Hence, they are able to store energy like a battery and can rapidly discharge like a capacitor, and may be used in conjunction with batteries.

How Do They Work?

Unlike batteries, which generate energy via chemical reactions, supercapcitors use a physical means, separating out the positive and negative charges, storing energy as electricity.

What Materials Are Used in Supercapacitors?

The key to supercapacitors is carbon and nanotechnology, including carbon nanotubes. They utilise activated carbon with particle sizes from 50nm down to 2nm. However, it is the controlled porosity that is the secret. By controlling the porosity and hence the surface area, it is possible to tailor the properties of a supercapacitor such as energy storage and discharge rate.

Applications

Supercapacitors have an ever expanding array of applications as portable electronics continue to gain in popularity. While still in their infancy, potential applications include:

•         Digital cameras

•         Portable computers

•         Wireless devices

•         Mobile phones

Source: AZoM.com