{"id":2439,"date":"2011-01-07T00:35:32","date_gmt":"2011-01-07T07:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=2439"},"modified":"2011-01-19T21:31:05","modified_gmt":"2011-01-20T04:31:05","slug":"thin-light-strong-and-energy-dense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/thin-light-strong-and-energy-dense\/","title":{"rendered":"Thin, Light, Strong, and Energy Dense"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a02010\u2019s Nobel Prize in Physics <\/a>went to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who extracted graphene from a piece of graphite when they stuck a piece of adhesive tape to it and peeled away a single atom-thick layer of the thinnest, strongest material in the world.<\/p>\n

The Nobel Prize web site explains other remarkable properties of this new material. \u00a0\u201cAs a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat it outperforms all other known materials. It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it. Carbon, the basis of all known life on earth, has surprised us once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

With studies in quantum physics and materials science possible, practical applications loom.\u00a0 \u201cAlso a vast variety of practical applications now appear possible including the creation of new materials and the manufacture of innovative electronics.\u00a0 Graphene transistors are predicted to be substantially faster than today\u2019s silicon transistors and result in more efficient computers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene is suitable for producing transparent touch screens, light panels, and maybe even solar cells.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen mixed into plastics, graphene can turn them into conductors of electricity while making them more heat resistant and mechanically robust. This resilience can be utilized in new super strong materials, which are also thin, elastic and lightweight. In the future, satellites, airplanes, and cars could be manufactured out of the new composite materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

This promising material is rapidly being developed into real products, including the world\u2019s most energy-dense supercapacitor, as reported in Gizmag<\/a> on December 10, 2010.\u00a0 Scientists at Angstron materials reported energy densities of 86 Watt-hours per kilogram at room temperature and 136 Wh\/kg at 86\u00b0 C (176\u00b0 F), \u201ccomparable to that of Ni-mh (nickel metal hydride) batteries\u201d but, as with most capacitors, much faster charge and discharge rates, and a longer cycle life.<\/p>\n

\"Amps<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Bor Jang, co-founder of Angstron, the developer of this supercapacitor, explains<\/a>, \u201cThis type of supercapacitor is especially attractive for electric vehicle applications where the pairing of supercapacitors with fuel cells or batteries could provide a hybrid system capable of delivering high power acceleration and energy recovery during braking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with Nanotek Materials and Dalian Institute of Technology in China, Ansgstron credits manufacturing techniques that curve the platelets and prevent the thin* graphene sheets from sticking together and allowing maximum surface area to be achieved\u00a0for at least some of\u00a0the material’s superior characteristics.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The team\u2019s paper \u201cGraphene-Based Supercapacitor with an Ultrahigh Energy Density\u201d is reported in the journal Nanoletters<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 The abstract explains, \u201cThe key to success was the ability to make full utilization of the highest intrinsic surface capacitance and specific surface area of single-layer graphene by preparing curved graphene sheets that will not restack face-to-face. The curved morphology enables the formation of mesopores accessible to and wettable by environmentally benign ionic liquids capable of operating at a voltage >4 V.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the company, \u201cThe world\u2019s largest producer of nano graphene platelets (NGPs), Angstron\u2019s single-layer graphene has exhibited the highest electrical properties including exceptional in-plane electrical conductivity (up to ~ 20,000 S\/cm) when compared to other nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond supercapacitors, NGPs have potential applications <\/a>in next-generation lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.\u00a0 Because they are more easily manufactured than carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers, NGPs promise lower costs <\/a>in all applications.\u00a0\u00a0 Because of their strength, NGPs in a sandwich-type matrix could provide a blend of structure, light weight and energy storage that would make them exceptional candidates for use in electric aircraft.<\/p>\n

Usually, Nobel Prizes predate practical outcomes by many decades.\u00a0 This latest development seems to be a fast-track project with short and long-term implications.<\/p>\n

*Over 28,000 square feet per gram for a single layer of the material – or about the size of a football field.\u00a0 (NOTE:<\/strong> Corrected January 19.\u00a0 Your editor skipped a decimal point or two in the original.)<\/em><\/p>\n