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by Modern day batteries use chemical reactions to provide over 25 times more energy than capacitors, but they slowly lose their energy potential after being recharged over and over. Capacitors, a 300 year old technology, use an electric field between two metal electrodes to create less energy, but can be recharged very quickly 'perhaps hundreds of thousands of times.'
Researchers at MIT are resurrecting the 'old' capacitor technology and coupling it with nanotechnology to make a superbattery. By covering the electrodes used in the capacitor with millions of nanotubes, their surface area is increased significantly resulting in a battery that has the best of both worlds: short charging times (seconds, not hours), long life (indefinite?), and high power density (like chemical batteries of today). The impact of the technology could be huge for devices ranging anywhere from hearing aids to automobiles, in addition to reducing the environmental impact of discarded batteries.
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HUGE by Brandon :: NR9 :: on 04 August 2006
Unless this technology is extremely expensive, I don't see why it wouldn't have a huge impact on ... well, on everything that takes batteries.
Hybrid/electric cars would no longer have the downside of battery replacement cost, charge time or environmental impact of discarded batteries, which could greatly accelerate the switch from ICE-pure vehicles and promote U.S. oil independence.
On a more personal and less important level, it is hard to imagine being able to charge my cell phone, razor, bluetooth headset, toothbrush, camera, wireless mouse, etc. in a matter of seconds. I don't have one, but the impact on laptop use might be the biggest of all, seeing the effect that battery performance has in that industry.
The article states, 'Schindall's groups expects their prototype to be finished in the next few months, and they hope to see them on the market in less than five years.' I can't wait until 2011 ...
RE: HUGE by starm_ :: NR0 :: on 04 August 2006
I agree, a breakthrough in ultracapacitors would change the world. Of course this all depends on how small and cheap they can make them, but, if they could get the power density and price of batteries but with the indefinite lifetime of standard capacitors, it would replace oil altogether, it would drastically change the transporation industry, the energy industry, the electronics industry, heh, basically anything that can run on electricity. It would make the use of sustainable energy much more practical as we could store solar and wind energy for when its not windy/sunny.
Although, I suspect there'll be some hurdles. Either, using the nanomaterial will make the capacitors more fragile and make their duration more like that of batteries or the smallness of the insulation will result in big leak currents and they will discharge when left alone. But hey, never know.
I wonder if there is a theoretical limit to the power density capacitors can acheive?
Heard of this? by romanizzo :: NR6 :: on 20 August 2006
Steorn, a small hi-tech firm in Dublin, seems to have discovered some new and exciting power-device. Scientists are skeptical, however. The technology uses travel through a magnetic field to create energy, which, as we all know, would violate the laws of physics.
It would be pretty cool though, wouldn't it?