Zenan Yu and Jayan Thomas hold samples (magnified in the background) of nanopillar structures they printed. (Credit: UCF)Scientists at the University of Central Florida have developed a new electrode “printing” process that allows to enhance the energy storage capabilities of supercapacitors, electrochemical devices that are crucial for powering electric vehicles, high-speed trains and the emergency doors of the Airbus A380.
The finding, which offers a solution to a problem that has plagued the growing multi-billion dollar industry, utilizes a unique three-step process to “print” large—area nanostructured electrodes, structures necessary to improve electrical conductivity and boost performance of the supercapacitor.
Supercapacitors have been around since the 1960’s. Similar to batteries, they store energy. The difference is that supercapacitors can provide higher amounts of power for shorter periods of time, making them very useful for heavy machinery and other applications that require large amounts of energy to start. However, due to their innate low energy density; supercapacitors are limited in the amount of energy that they can store.
“We had been looking at techniques to print nanostructures,” said Thomas. “Using a simple spin-on nanoprinting (SNAP) technique, we can print highly-ordered nanopillars without the need for complicated development processes. By eliminating these processes, it allows multiple imprints to be made on the same substrate in close proximity.“
This simplified fabrication method devised by Thomas and his team is very attractive for the next-generation of energy storage systems. “What we’ve found is by adding the printed ordered nanostructures to supercapacitor electrodes, we can increase their surface area many times,” added Thomas. “We discovered that supercapacitors made using the SNAP technique can store much more energy than ones made without.”
Thomas, who is also affiliated with the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), and the College of Engineering, was recently featured on American Institute of Physics’ Inside Science TV for his collaborative research to develop a new material using nanotechnology that could potentially help keep pilots safe by diffusing harmful laser light.
Yu Z, Duong B, Abbitt D, & Thomas J (2013). Highly Ordered MnO2 Nanopillars for Enhanced Supercapacitor Performance. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 25 (24), 3302-6 PMID: 23636961
