About
- Supercapacitor is a next-generation energy storage device. They are also known as ultracapacitors.
- It has significant advantages over conventional capacitors and lithium-ion batteries (LIB), such as high power density, long durability, and ultrafast charging characteristics.
- The main components of supercapacitors include an electrode, electrolyte, separator, and current collector.
- The electrode and electrolyte are the pivotal components that directly determine the electrochemical behavior of the supercapacitors.
- The manufacturing cost of electrode materials and electrolytes accounts for a major portion of the supercapacitor’s manufacturing cost.
- An electrode is a solid electric conductor used to take an electric current to or from a power source.
- An electrolyte is a substance that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water.
Supercapacitor Device
- It is developed from industrial waste cotton-based electrodes & natural seawater electrolytes.
- Industrial waste cotton was converted into highly porous carbon fibers by an activation process and then utilized to make high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.
- Natural seawater was explored as an environment-friendly, cost-effective, and alternative aqueous electrolyte.
Benefits
- This supercapacitor showed great potential for practical implementation.
- It exhibited maximum capacitance, good durability, and high efficiency.
- Capacitance is the ability of a system to store an electric charge.
- Efficiency denotes the charge transfer in a system facilitating an electrochemical reaction.
- When integrated with a solar cell, it will become a low-cost, eco-friendly, efficient, and self-powering device.
- It has a long life cycle and can be used as a maintenance-free power supply.
- It can also overcome the drawbacks of the intermittent nature of the solar irradiation.
Biodegradable Supercapacitor
It is an electrochemical charge storage device with a fast charging/discharging cycle, high power density and a longer lifecycle.
Features
- This supercapacitor, which can fully charge a device within 10 seconds, was developed from seaweed (marine macroalgae).
- The device has high tensile strength and performance and is cost-effective, according to the researchers.
- The product can be used in electronics, memory backup systems, airbags, heavy machines, electric vehicles, etc.; hence, it holds a huge business prospect.
