AUSTIN, Texas, May 12 (UPI) -- Texas scientists say a new "supercapacitor" could improve energy storage in everything from energy grids and electric cars to consumer electronics.
Researchers at the University of Texas have created a new porous, three-dimensional carbon that can be used as a greatly enhanced supercapacitor to store and release electrical charge, a university release reported Thursday.
Supercapacitors have been called the "sprinters" of electrical energy storage devices. They are able to deliver energy much faster and more efficiently than batteries but usually hold much less electrical charge, whereas batteries are like marathon runners, delivering energy slowly but steadily.
"We synthesized a new sponge-like carbon that has a surface area of up to 3,100 square meters per gram (two grams has a surface area roughly equivalent to that of a football field)," materials science and mechanical engineering Professor Rodney S. Ruoff said.
"It also has much higher electrical conductivity and, when further optimized, will be superb for thermal management as well."
The carbon the researchers created is full of tiny atom-size holes, essentially a sponge that, when combined with an electrolyte, can store a giant electrical charge, the Texas release said.
