Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have made a breakthrough in improving supercapacitors’ performance. Led by Prof. Uday Narayan Maiti from the Department of Physics, the team developed new materials and methods that enhance supercapacitors’ efficiency. Their findings were published in the prestigious journal “Small” by Wiley-VCH.
Supercapacitors are energy storage devices similar to batteries but store energy differently, using electrostatic fields instead of chemical reactions. Known for their rapid charging and discharging capabilities, supercapacitors are crucial for quick-charging devices like digital cameras and defibrillators.
Despite their advantages, supercapacitors face challenges in commercialization due to performance metrics such as gravimetric, volumetric, and areal capacitance. To address this, Prof. Maiti’s team introduced a composite electrode made of MXene and cellulose nanofibers derived from bio-waste.
MXenes are thin layers of inorganic materials, while nanofibers are extremely thin filaments. By combining these materials, the team achieved high areal and volumetric capacitance while maintaining stability over 20,000 charge-discharge cycles.
The researchers also found that dehydrating MXene hydrogels created blocked pores, which were interconnected by the introduction of cellulose nanofibers. This facilitated ion transport, further improving supercapacitor performance.
This advancement holds promise for various applications, including electric vehicles and renewable energy systems, marking significant progress in energy storage technology.