Nanotechnology Now

• About Us
  
  • Advertising
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Comments
  • Friends
  • Contact
• Nanotechnology
• News
  
  • Current News
  • Press Releases
  • Submit Press
  • Press kit
  • Interviews
• Columns
• Products
  
  • Our Products
  • Books
  • Featured Books
• Directories
  
  • Companies/Academic
  • Events
  • Glossary
  • Best Of
• Career Center
• Nano-Social Network
• Nano Consulting
• My Account

Home > News > Watch Tower: Advances in energy storage

January 31st, 2008

Watch Tower: Advances in energy storage

Abstract:
There are two major limitations to the conductivity of activated carbon-the high porosity means there isn't much carbon material to carry current, and the material must be "glued" to the aluminum current collector using a binder, which exhibits a somewhat high resistance. Recent innovation made researchers at MIT (USA) is to replace the activated carbon with a dense, microscopic forest of carbon nanotubes that is grown directly on the surface of the current collector. By virtue of their dimensions, nanotubes hold the promise of even higher porosity than the activated carbon used in commercial ultracapacitors. Together the nanotubes have an enormous surface area, and their dimensions are more uniform than those of the activated-carbon pores, making them more like a paintbrush than a sponge. Another advantage of nanotubes over activated carbon is that their structure makes them less chemically reactive, so they can operate at a higher voltage. And certain types of nanotubes, depending on their geometry, can be excellent conductors-which means they can supply more power than ultracapacitors outfitted with activated carbon.

Source:
centralchronicle.com

Bookmark:

Related News Press

News and information

Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013

How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013

Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013

Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013

Nanotubes/Buckyballs

UC Riverside scientists discovering new uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective 'Smart Windows' that darken in bright sun May 15th, 2013

Development know-how is made available to collaboration partners: Bayer MaterialScience brings nano projects to a close May 8th, 2013

Next-generation transistor outperforms other carbon-based designs May 7th, 2013

Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds: Substances are used in everything from paint to sporting equipment May 6th, 2013

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals

Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology: With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around May 23rd, 2013

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory: At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks May 22nd, 2013

UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013

Battery Technology/Capacitors/Generators/Piezoelectrics

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013

New Mechanism Converts Natural Gas to Energy Faster, Captures CO2 May 7th, 2013

Microwave oven cooks up solar cell material: Nanocrystal semiconductor for photovoltaics, medical sensors, heat reuse May 6th, 2013