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Researchers develop game-changing self-charging energy device: 'This … is a significant achievement'

The results changed the game of energy storage.

The results changed the game of energy storage.

Photo Credit: iStock

A collaborative research study is shaking up the world of energy storage after blowing past previous performance goalposts for supercapacitors while also creating a way to self-charge them using solar technology, following a study summarized on Tech Xplore.

A supercapacitor is a device that, similar to a battery, stores electrical energy. Batteries are ideal for handling a high volume of energy storage for a long period of time, while supercapacitors generally work quicker but cannot sustain much volume long term. 

That is, until now. 

The researchers — collaborating from South Korea, France, and Japan — created a unique electrode full of materials that boosted conductivity and stability. You don't have to pull out your chemistry textbook, but basically, what they used was a novel mix of nickel-based carbonate, hydroxide composite, and several other metals, including cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc, the Tech Xplore summary explained. 

Simply put, the results changed the game of energy storage. The efficiency of that sector is an important piece of the puzzle for creating sustainable power sources that don't burn a hole in any consumer's wallet and that keep our planet out of trouble, too. 

The full findings are published in the journal Energy. They include significant improvements to the amount of energy the supercapacitor could store, as well as how much power it could provide. This high level hardly declined after repeated charging cycles, which clinched the device's long-term viability, according to the Tech Xplore post.

And that's not all. The team also published its success in making this supercharged supercapacitor able to charge up all by itself. By combining it with a solar cell, it was able to store energy while using it at the same time, which is a big step for energy storage technology. Plus, the hybrid device had an efficiency rate that was high enough for commercial use, the outlet explained.

"This study is a significant achievement, as it marks the development of Korea's first self-charging energy storage device," said Jeongmin Kim, senior researcher at the Nanotechnology Division of DGIST, per Tech Xplore. "By utilizing transition metal-based composite materials, we have overcome the limitations of energy storage devices."

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