Angstron Materials
Inc., has invented a graphene-based supercapacitor with ultra high energy
density, a feature that permits storage of a significant amount of energy. As
a rechargeable energy storage device, supercapacitors can be charged and discharged
more quickly than batteries but have been challenged by their inability to store
energy in the amounts required by automotive and electronic applications.
Angstron’s graphene-based supercapacitor has demonstrated an energy density
that exceeds that of commercially available supercapacitors and is comparable
with nickel metal hydride batteries.
“A supercapacitor that can store this much energy yet be completely charged
or discharged in seconds or minutes offers a number of promising applications
for the automotive and electronics industries,” said Dr. Bor Jang, co-founder
of Angstron. “This type of supercapacitor is especially attractive for
electric vehicle applications where the pairing of supercapacitors with fuel
cells or batteries could provide a hybrid system capable of delivering high
power acceleration and energy recovery during braking.”
The world’s largest producer of nano graphene platelets (NGPs), Angstron’s
single layer graphene has exhibited the highest electrical properties including
exceptional in-plane electrical conductivity (up to ~ 20,000 S/cm) when compared
to other nanomaterials including carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) and carbon nano-fibers
(CNFs). Graphene also offers a very high specific surface area - up to 2675
square meters per gram. By creating curved graphene sheets that resist restacking,
Angstron was able to dramatically improve specific surface area and energy density
for greater energy storage.