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.
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.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The above story is based on materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Jianhua Hou, Chuanbao Cao, Faryal Idrees, Xilan Ma. Hierarchical Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Derived from Silk for Ultrahigh-Capacity Battery Anodes and Supercapacitors. ACS Nano, 2015; 150225094419006 DOI: 10.1021/nn506394r
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