A team of researchers has developed a revolutionary energy storage device that can charge itself using solar power.
This high-performance device combines the benefits of supercapacitors and solar cells, creating an efficient system for capturing and storing solar energy.
The breakthrough could lead to more sustainable and practical energy solutions for a wide range of applications.
The research, published in the journal Energy, represents a major step forward in energy storage technology.
Traditional supercapacitors have been useful for storing and quickly releasing energy but often fall short when it comes to energy density—the amount of energy they can store relative to their weight.
The new device addresses this limitation using advanced materials and innovative design.
The researchers improved the electrodes, the parts of the device that store and release energy, by using a special nickel-based carbonate and hydroxide composite material.
They further enhanced the electrodes by adding transition metals like manganese, cobalt, copper, iron, and zinc.
This combination significantly increased the conductivity, stability, and overall performance of the supercapacitor.
The result is a device with much better energy and power density.
The energy density achieved is 35.5 Wh/kg—far higher than the 5–20 Wh/kg typical of earlier designs. The power density, which determines how quickly the energy can be released, reached 2555.6 W/kg, more than doubling the performance of previous devices.
The supercapacitor also maintained its performance over many charge and discharge cycles, making it highly durable.
The researchers didn’t stop there. They combined their improved supercapacitor with silicon solar cells to create a self-charging system.
This hybrid device can store solar energy and use it in real time, with an energy storage efficiency of 63%. The overall efficiency of the system was 5.17%, proving its potential for practical use.
This technology could be a game-changer for sustainable energy.
It can store solar energy during the day and release it when needed, offering a reliable and eco-friendly energy source for various applications, from powering small devices to larger systems. The improved efficiency and long lifespan of the device make it a promising candidate for commercialization.
Jeongmin Kim, a senior researcher at DGIST, called this achievement Korea’s first self-charging energy storage device combining supercapacitors and solar cells.
“By using transition metal-based materials, we’ve overcome key limitations in energy storage and created a sustainable solution,” Kim said.
Damin Lee from Kyungpook National University added, “We plan to keep working on improving the efficiency of this device and exploring its commercial potential.”
This innovative device brings us closer to a future where clean, self-charging energy is widely accessible.
Source: KSR.
