Electrical cables that could store energy
Imagine being able to carry all the
juice you needed to power your devices in the fabric of your jacket? Sounds
like science fiction, but it may become a reality thanks a new breakthrough
So far electrical cables are used
only to transmit electricity. However, nanotechnology scientist and professor
Jayan Thomas and his student Zenan Yu at University of Central Florida have
developed a way to both transmit and store electricity in a single lightweight
copper wire. Yu is the co-author of the study. He works in Thomas’ Nano
Energy-Photonics Group.
Their work appears in the material
science journal Advanced Materials and science magazine Nature. “It’s an
interesting idea,” Thomas said. “When we did it and started talking about it,
everyone we talked to said, ‘Hmm, never thought of that. It’s unique.’” Copper
wire is the starting point but eventually, Thomas said, as the technology
improves, special fibers could also be developed with nanostructures to conduct
and store energy.
More immediate applications could be
seen in the design and development of electrical vehicles, space-launch
vehicles and portable electronic devices. By being able to store and conduct
energy on the same wire, heavy, space-consuming batteries could become a thing
of the past. It is possible to further miniaturise the electronic devices or
the space that has been previously used for batteries could be used for other
purposes. In the case of launch vehicles, that could potentially lighten the
load, making launches less costly, Thomas said. Thomas and his team began with
a single copper wire. Then he placed a sheath over the wire made up of
nanowhiskers the team grew on the outer surface of the copper wire. These
whiskers were then treated with a special alloy, which created an electrode.
Two electrodes are needed for the powerful energy storage. So they had to
figure out a way to create a second electrode.
They did it by adding a thin plastic
sheet around the whiskers and wrapping it around using a metal sheath after
generating nanowhiskers on (the second electrode and outer covering). The
layers were then glued together with a special gel. Because of the insulation,
the inner copper wire retains its ability to channel energy, but the layers
around the wire independently store powerful energy.
In other words, Thomas and his team
created a supercapacitor on the outside of the copper wire. Supercapcitors
store powerful energy, like that needed to start a vehicle or heavy-construction
equipment. Although more work needs to be done, Thomas said the technique
should be transferable to other types of materials. That could lead to
specially treated clothing fibers being able to hold enough power for big
tasks.
For example, if flexible solar cells
and these fibers were used in tandem to make a jacket, it could be used
independently to power electronic gadgets and other devices.
“It’s very exciting,” Thomas said.
“We take it step by step. I love getting to the lab everyday, and seeing what
we can come up with next.
Sometimes things don’t work out, but
even those failures teach us a lot of things.”
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