Scientists accidentally discover powerful energy storage material: ‘Exceptional performance and durability’

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles recently shared their breakthrough work using a specific type of plastic to create more efficient energy storage. This new material could provide a solution to the global challenges of switching to renewable and sustainable energy, per an article posted on TechXplore.

We use plastics throughout our everyday lives. Plastics help keep food fresh and medical equipment sterile, and they provide insulation within our electronics. As it turns out, plastics can do even more.

Scientists in the 1970s accidentally discovered that some plastics can also conduct electricity. Many applications have since been developed to use plastics for energy storage. However, certain plastics are limited by their lack of electrical conductivity and surface area for storage.

The scientists at UCLA found a way to increase the conductivity and surface area of a certain type of plastic called PEDOT, short for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), detailed in their paper published in Advanced Functional Materials.

Usually used as a protective film for electronic components and photographic films to prevent static electricity, PEDOT is also found in touch screens and smart windows.

Up until now, PEDOT lacked the electrical conductivity and surface area to be useful for energy storage, but the UCLA chemists found a way to control the morphology of PEDOT and precisely grow nanofibers.

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The nanofibers, which resemble dense grass, solve both problems: They’re exceptionally conductive and greatly increase the surface area of the PEDOT material, giving them the potential for supercapacitor applications.

Supercapacitors are able to charge and discharge very quickly because — unlike batteries — they store and release energy by accumulating electrical charge on their surface. This makes them suitable for applications requiring bursts of power, like camera flashes and regenerative braking systems in both hybrid and electric vehicles.

This capability could allow supercapacitors to reduce our dependence on dirty fuels, helping to curb rising global temperatures. Reducing the use of dirty energy sources will lead to cleaner air, safer communities, and fewer extreme weather events.

The new PEDOT material’s conductivity is 100 times higher than commercial PEDOT products, and the nanofibers’ electrochemically active surface area is four times greater than that of traditional PEDOT material, according to the TechXplore article.

“The exceptional performance and durability of our electrodes shows great potential for graphene PEDOT’s use in supercapacitors that can help our society meet our energy needs,” said the corresponding author of the study, Richard Kaner, a UCLA distinguished professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering.

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