University of Surrey achieves supercapacitor technology breakthrough to change the way electric vehicles use energy

According to foreign media reports, experts from the University of Surrey in the UK have introduced a breakthrough supercapacitor technology, which is one step closer to the dream of clean energy storage. The technology can store and transmit electricity at high power, especially suitable for mobile applications.

(Image source: University of Surrey)

Researchers at Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) say the technology has the potential to revolutionise the way electric vehicles use energy and reduce the loss of renewable energy from the national grid. The team also believes it could help boost the growth of wind, wave and solar power by removing the intermittent nature of such energy sources.

ATI's supercapacitor technology is based on polyaniline (PANI) material, which stores energy through a mechanism called "pseudocapacitance." This polymer material is cheap, conductive, and can be used as an electrode in a supercapacitor device. The electrode captures ions within the electrode to store charge by exchanging electrons with ions that are "doped" with the material.

In the paper, the team details how they developed a new three-layer composite material using carbon nanotubes, PANI and hydrothermal carbon that not only has high energy density but also exhibits high-rate performance independent of power usage.

Ash Stott, PhD student at the University of Surrey and lead scientist on the research, said: “The future of global energy depends on consumers and industry being able to adopt and manufacture more energy-efficient supercapacitors, which have proven to be a leading technology capable of addressing the intermittent nature of renewable energy and delivering capabilities at high power. Our research establishes a baseline for high-energy devices to operate at high power, effectively expanding the range of potential applications for supercapacitors.”