The recent news is abuzz with a promising development in the field of sustainable energy storage – scientists at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous organization under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, have successfully developed a simple, low-cost, environment-friendly, and sustainable supercapacitor device.
Understanding Supercapacitors
A supercapacitor, also referred to as an ultracapacitor, represents the next generation of energy storage devices. This innovative technology offers numerous advantages over conventional capacitors and Lithium-Ion batteries (LIB). These benefits include high power density, long durability, and ultrafast charging traits.
The core components of supercapacitors encompass the electrode, electrolyte, separator, and the current collector. The electrode and electrolyte are particularly crucial as they directly determine the electrochemical behaviour of the supercapacitors. Substantial costs incurred in the manufacture of supercapacitors come from the production of these two elements. An electrode, a solid electric conductor, serves to take an electric current to or from a power source. On the other hand, an electrolyte forms an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent like water.
The Developed Supercapacitor Device
The developed supercapacitor is structured from industrial waste cotton-based electrodes and natural seawater electrolyte. The process involved converting industrial waste cotton into highly porous carbon fibers through an activation process. These fibers were then used to build high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. Simultaneously, natural seawater was explored and used as a cost-effective, environment-friendly alternative aqueous electrolyte.
Benefits of the New Supercapacitor
The newly developed supercapacitor exhibits a wide range of potential benefits for practical implementation. It revealed maximum capacitance, excellent durability, and high efficiency. Capacitance refers to a system’s ability to store an electric charge. Meanwhile, efficiency stands for the amount of charge transferred in a system enabling an electrochemical reaction.
Potential Applications
When connected with a solar cell, this supercapacitor can transform into a self-powering device that is low-cost, efficient, and eco-friendly. It possesses a long life cycle and can serve as a maintenance-free power supply system. More importantly, it can address the challenges associated with the intermittent nature of solar irradiation.
The progress made in the development of this supercapacitor represents an excellent instance of innovative science applied towards sustainable, green processes. It showcases the realisation of the waste-to-wealth principle, where waste material is ingeniously used to create a product of significant value.