Curtin University research has found a simple and affordable method to determine which chemicals and types of metals are best used to store and supply energy, in a breakthrough for any battery-run devices and technologies relying on the fast and reliable supply of electricity, including smart phones and tablets.
Lead author Associate Professor Simone Ciampi from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences said this easy, low-cost method of determining how to produce and keep the highest energy charge in a capacitor (电容器) could be of great benefit to all scientists, engineers and start-ups looking to solving the energy storage challenges of the future.
"All electronic devices require an energy source. While a battery needs to be recharged over time, a capacitor can be charged instantly because it stores energy by separating charged ions (离子), found in ionic liquids, " Ciampi said.
There are thousands of types of ionic liquids, a type of "liquid salt", and until now, it was difficult to know which would be best suited for use in a capacitor. What our team has done is designing a quick and easy test, able to be performed in a basic lab, which can measure both the ability to store charge when a solid electrode touches a given ionic liquid—a simple capacitor—as well as the stability of the device when charged.
"The simplicity this test means anyone can apply it without the need for expensive equipment. Using this method, researchers found that charging the device for 60 seconds produced a full charge, which did not ‘leak' (渗漏) and begin to diminish for at least four days, " Mr Belotti said.
The next step is to use this new screening method to find ionic liquid with an even longer duration in the charged state and larger energy density.
