A new material structure could revolutionize energy storage by enabling the capacitors in electric vehicles or devices to store energy for much longer, scientists say.
The new discovery — which the scientists say was unintended and builds off novel electronics work — could be the foundation for better battery life across consumer devices such as laptops or smartphones, as well as more flexibility in grid-scale energy storage.
While batteries can store energy for a long period, they take a long time to charge and discharge electricity.
Smartphones, for example, generally use power from the battery but get energy from capacitors when power is needed in a short burst — such as for a camera flash.
Related: This tiny radioactive battery can last 50 years without recharging — and it’s coming in 2025 Some capacitors use ferroelectric materials to store energy.
The new structure sits in a physical and chemical balance between conductivity and non-conductivity, letting it more effectively retain energy.
Researchers said the technology could deliver energy density up to 19 times higher than current capacitors.
With higher energy densities, next-generation capacitors could enable greater use of fast-charging capacitors for devices that need long-term storage such as electric vehicles.
Scientists claim that a novel material structure may transform energy storage by allowing capacitors in electric cars or other devices to hold energy for much longer periods of time.
Researchers have created capacitors using novel “heterostructures” that have a unique quality that slows down energy dissipation without compromising their capacity to charge rapidly.
The new finding may pave the way for longer battery lives in consumer electronics like laptops and smartphones as well as greater flexibility in grid-scale energy storage. The scientists claim that the discovery was accidental and builds upon novel electronics work. In a study that was released in the journal Science on April 18, the scientists presented their findings.
Batteries require a lot of time to charge and discharge electricity, despite their long energy storage capacity. Capacitors are useful in this situation because they can store electricity in an electric field and quickly charge and discharge it to provide quick access to power when needed.
For example, smartphones usually run on a battery, but when a brief burst of power is required, like for a camera flash, they draw energy from capacitors. Usually, hundreds of capacitors are found in each smartphone.
Related: In 2025, this tiny radioactive battery—which can run for 50 years without needing to be recharged—will be available.
Ferroelectric materials are used by certain capacitors to store energy. By using a voltage, the natural polarization of these materials can be reversed. When the polarization is inverted, it stays in the capacitor like “memory” even after the voltage is cut off.
These materials polarize in the opposite direction when power is applied, and they retain this polarization even after power is removed. Comparatively speaking to batteries, they often have lower long-term energy retention.
The newly designed structure is better able to hold onto energy because it is in a state of physical and chemical equilibrium between conductivity and non-conductivity. By chance, the researchers discovered that the relaxation time—a term used to characterize the amount of time over which the capacitor loses charge—is increased by a tiny gap in the core.
Both chemical and non-chemical bonds connect the layers of 2D and 3D materials, which are layered atomically in each of the heterostructures like layers of lasagna pasta. About 30,000 times thinner than a human hair, the maximum thickness of the entire structure is only 30 nanometers.
The technology, according to researchers, could provide energy densities up to 19 times higher than those of existing capacitors. Additionally, the group recorded an efficiency of over 90%, which is exceptional in the field. According to research published in the journal Materials in July 2023, the comparable efficiency for new ferroelectric capacitors is 86.95 percent.
An extremely tiny gap in the material structure can be used to modulate or induce dielectric relaxation time, according to research done by Sang-Hoon Bae, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Washington University. We had never observed that novel physical phenomenon before. It makes it possible to work with dielectric material so that its charge-carrying capacity is maintained without polarization. ****.
The structure, if replicated at large scale, has the potential to revolutionize energy storage and retrieval practices by enabling on-demand, highly rapid energy access while maintaining the stability of long-term storage. Next-generation capacitors, which have higher energy densities, may make it possible to use fast-charging capacitors for longer-term storage devices like electric vehicles. Additionally, capacitors could supply quick, on-demand power for private industry or the grid.
