Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed novel materials and methodology that significantly enhances the performance metrics of supercapacitors.
Led by Prof. Uday Narayan Maiti, Department of Physics, IIT Guwahati, the findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journal "Small" (published by Wiley-VCH).
Supercapacitors, akin to batteries, serve as energy storage devices. However, unlike batteries that rely on chemical reactions, supercapacitors store energy through the electrostatic field — the separation of charges. Renowned for their remarkable efficiency, supercapacitors can complete rapid charging and discharging cycles in mere seconds.
The research team introduces MXene and cellulose nanofiber composite electrodes, achieving remarkable areal, volumetric, and gravimetric capacitance simultaneously. The team introduced a composite electrode comprising MXene and bio-waste-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNF), using a novel electric-field guided method to assemble these extremely thin and small nanomaterials to form the electrodes.
Prof. Uday Narayan Maiti commented: "These MXene-CNF-hydrogel-derived electrodes exhibit impressively high areal and volumetric capacitance with very high areal mass loading more than 70 mg/cm2. They maintain 96% of their capacitance after 20,000 charge-discharge cycles, showcasing robust long-term operational stability."
Practical supercapacitors boasting high aerial, volumetric, and gravimetric capacitance hold promise for applications in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and consumer electronics.
Source: www.iitg.ac.in
