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Researchers at UCLA made a discovery that has resulted in a new type of supercapacitor, a method of storing energy that's something between a battery and a capacitor. Unlike a battery, a supercapacitor like this can charge rapidly and is biodegradable since it's carbon-based. (Watch the brief video for a very good synopsis of the kind of potential this technology may lead to.) We've been hearing about various types of battery and battery-like technologies over the past several years, and supercapacitors combined with batteries are being developed to power electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Will this supercapacitor, which is made out of graphene, finally be the "battery" (or more accurately, energy storage container) we've all been waiting for? |
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here is the thing... Universities can spend their time on these things... Supercaps have been around for quite some time now so I am not too impressed by this. But the biodegradable part is cool. The researcher may be able to create such a cap in the lab, but it costs $2000 per unit to make, hardly marketable. Many of these things never see the light of day. I would not hold your breath until a company announces we will start to ship [name here] in 6 months... and even then you have a good chance of suffocating yourself. |
