Led by Prof. Valeria Nicolosi at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, scientists are developing next-generation batteries that could provide more efficient ways of storing and delivering energy, allowing electric cars, laptops and smartphones to charge faster and operate for longer periods.
The new technology also allows batteries to become much smaller while delivering the same power. To achieve this goal, the scientists developed a novel ‘supercapacitor’ using extremely thin materials such as graphene and the means to produce it through inkjet printing. This process uses slightly modified inkjet printers, similar to those found in offices.
This supercapacitor combines the strengths of batteries and capacitors by holding relatively higher storage capacity while efficiently delivering a high level of power.
It is estimated that the method can increase a battery’s lifetime 5 000 times more than the technology in 2016, when the project completed its work.
Capacitors and batteries differ in the ways they are used based in part on their ability to hold energy and deliver it when needed. Batteries can hold more energy but provide lower power relative to scale compared to capacitors, which are used to provide high bursts of power for devices such as camera flashes.
Nanotechnology combines science and engineering to develop tiny structures at dimensions of around 100 millionth of a millimetre and below.
The scientists used nanotechnology techniques in a process called ‘exfoliation’, which strips layers off materials to create super-thin electrodes, a key component for energy storage and delivery.
The thinner an electrode is, the more energy can be stored by a battery. And these two-dimensional nanolayers are some of the thinnest around.
The scientists tested the process by combining different metals and minerals, including graphene. Made up of a carbon layer just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly light, stronger than steel and can conduct electricity better than copper.
The research attracted industry partnerships, indicating its real-world impact.