Researchers at the University of California are developing graphene supercapacitors that can charge and discharge in a couple of minutes. The ability to discharge in a couple of minutes means that they are extremely powerful. More importantly though, these researchers developed a technique for printing graphene supercapacitors using a DVD burner.
The researchers dissolved graphite oxide in water and heated it with a laser from a standard DVD burner to obtain flexible graphene sheets. These graphene sheets are one-atom thick, yet can hold a remarkable amount of energy, while being charged or discharged in very little time compared to standard batteries.
Ultracapacitors have tremendous advantages over typical lithium-ion batteries, some of which are of paramount importance to the adoption of electric cars, such as their ability to charge in as little as 1 second, and last 20 years (easily, and with very heavy usage). While this technology could mean ever-smaller handheld electronic devices, the real beneficiaries could be electric cars. If supercapactiors replace batteries as the primary energy storage method on EVs, it could mean much faster charge times, and much longer range. This graphene sheet method could also make EVs a lot more affordable, thanks to this cost-effective method.
Will supercapacitors save the electric car?
Source: Science Daily
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