Home > Press > Silk could be new 'green' material for next-generation batteries
![]() |
A new silk-based material could help make rechargeable batteries last longer. Credit: Li Ding/iStock/Thinkstock |
Abstract:
Lithium-ion batteries have enabled many of today's electronics, from portable gadgets to electric cars. But much to the frustration of consumers, none of these batteries last long without a recharge. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Nano the development of a new, "green" way to boost the performance of these batteries -- with a material derived from silk.
Chuanbao Cao and colleagues note that carbon is a key component in commercial Li-ion energy storage devices including batteries and supercapacitors. Most commonly, graphite fills that role, but it has a limited energy capacity. To improve the energy storage, manufacturers are looking for an alternative material to replace graphite. Cao's team wanted to see if they could develop such a material using a sustainable source.
The researchers found a way to process natural silk to create carbon-based nanosheets that could potentially be used in energy storage devices. Their material stores five times more lithium than graphite can -- a capacity that is critical to improving battery performance. It also worked for over 10,000 cycles with only a 9 percent loss in stability. The researchers successfully incorporated their material in prototype batteries and supercapacitors in a one-step method that could easily be scaled up, the researchers note.
###
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
####
About American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 158,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Michael Bernstein
202-872-6042
Chuanbao Cao, Ph.D.
Reseach Center of Materials Science
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing 100081
China
Copyright © American Chemical Society
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to Webcast Fiscal 2021 First Quarter Results January 20th, 2021
Scientists synthetize new material for high-performance supercapacitors January 19th, 2021
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
Scientists synthetize new material for high-performance supercapacitors January 19th, 2021
Controlling chemical catalysts with sculpted light January 15th, 2021
Researchers realize efficient generation of high-dimensional quantum teleportation January 14th, 2021
Materials/Metamaterials
Chemists invent shape-shifting nanomaterial with biomedical potential It converts from sheets to tubes and back in a controllable fashion January 13th, 2021
USTC develops ultrahigh-performance plasmonic metal-oxide materials January 11th, 2021
Stretching diamond for next-generation microelectronics January 5th, 2021
Microfabricated elastic diamonds improve material's electronic properties January 1st, 2021
Announcements
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to Webcast Fiscal 2021 First Quarter Results January 20th, 2021
Scientists synthetize new material for high-performance supercapacitors January 19th, 2021
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Scientists synthetize new material for high-performance supercapacitors January 19th, 2021
Battery Technology/Capacitors/Generators/Piezoelectrics/Thermoelectrics/Energy storage
Scientists synthetize new material for high-performance supercapacitors January 19th, 2021
Record-setting thermoelectric figure of merit achieved for metal oxides December 29th, 2020
New imaging method views soil carbon at near-atomic scales December 25th, 2020
New class of cobalt-free cathodes could enhance energy density of next-gen lithium-ion batteries December 21st, 2020
Dental
Innovations in dentistry: Navigational surgery, robotics, and nanotechnology October 2nd, 2020
First measurement of electron energy distributions, could enable sustainable energy technologies June 5th, 2020
Gas storage method could help next-generation clean energy vehicles: Tremendous amounts of hydrogen and methane can be stored in nanoscopic pores April 17th, 2020
Novel nanoparticle-based approach detects and treats oral plaque without drugs August 17th, 2018
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
![]() |
![]() |
||
Premium Products | ||
![]() |
||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
![]() |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
![]() |