Electronics: Researchers turn agricultural waste into a
carbon nanomaterial for high-power supercapacitors
Graphene might one day be used in batteries, solar cells,
transparent electrodes, and a host of other electronic gadgets. But graphene is
still quite expensive to make. Now researchers at the University of Alberta
have demonstrated a low-cost process for turning agricultural waste into
graphenelike nanomaterials for use in energy storage electronics (ACS Nano
2013, DOI: 10.1021/nn400731g).
With high surface area and conductivity, graphene is ideal
for use as electrodes in batteries and supercapacitors, which are energy
storage devices that excel at providing quick bursts of power. Supercapacitors
charge and discharge faster than batteries can because they store energy in the
form of fast-moving charges on the surfaces of their electrodes. Currently,
supercapacitors are used in braking systems for buses and fast-charging
flashlights.