Supercharging with supercapacitors - a new frontier in energy storage

Decarbonisation is driving innovation in energy storage and supercapacitors are emerging as a powerful complement to traditional batteries.

Dr Petar Jovanović - Senior Research Fellow with Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - highlights how supercapacitors can deliver huge power bursts in seconds; withstand near-endless charge cycles; and operate across wide temperature ranges, all while being safer and more environmentally friendly than current lithium-ion batteries.

However, supercapacitors have traditionally been held back by lower energy density. Dr Jovanović explains that recent advances in materials science - particularly graphene-based architectures with curved crystallites - are changing that narrative, enabling energy storage levels many times higher than before.

Underscoring the potential for supercapacitors to become a mainstream technology in transport, grids and electronics, Dr Jovanović explains “Because charge accumulation is so efficient inside these graphene crystals, we were able to attain five to 10 times more energy density."

He continues "Most importantly, these curved crystallites enable ions to move really quickly, unleashing some of the highest-reported power densities.” Dr Jovanović suggests Australia’s research and industrial base is well positioned to lead in this field - provided the nation increases investment in commercialisation.

Read the full article in Energy Source & Distribution here.