The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and faculty members from the University of the Philippines (UP) Baguio are working on a fast charging, high-capacity battery to boost the energy storage capacity of solar cells.
The battery is called graphene-based electrochemical supercapacitor, a storage device that can charge at a faster rate and can store larger amounts of energy compared with ordinary batteries or capacitors.
Graphene is a thin layer of pure carbon with a single, tightly packed layer of atoms that stick together, forming a honeycomb shape. It is 100 times stronger than steel by weight and has extraordinary properties.
?What if you can charge your energy storage device in less than a minute?? asked project leader Dr. Ian Jasper A. Agulo of UP Baguio to stir the audience. He added that the battery?s inherent strength makes it possible to be charged and discharged 100 times longer than ordinary batteries.
?Currently, we are experimenting on red and blue lasers to make graphene supercapacitors,? Agulo revealed of the project, which is supported by DOST?s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technologies Research and Development.
The abundance of carbon in the human body and in the universe makes graphene an ecologically friendly and sustainable source of material for many uses.
Explained Agulo: ?Electric cars require high specific power storage device to work while mobile phones require high specific energy device to run a longer time. However, graphene-based electrochemical supercapacitors posses both these characteristics which is why it can be used on a wide range of consumer electronics and energy harvesting applications.?
The team emphasized that the graphene supercapacitor will complement lithium-ion devices as this will boost the battery?s capacity and enhance its charging capability.
