Scientists are reporting that fibres from the hemp plant can rival graphene in their ability to store energy, leading the way to supercapacitors made with hemp. Up until now, graphene has been the contender material in the race to build supercapacitors due to it’s ideal composition.
Hemp has one other standout adbantage over graphene in that it’s a far cheaper option.
‘His team found that if they heated the fibers for 24 hours at a little over 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then blasted the resulting material with more intense heat, it would exfoliate into carbon nanosheets.’
David Mitlin, Ph.D., explains that supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have huge potential to transform the way future electronics are powered. Unlike today’s rechargeable batteries, which sip up energy over several hours, supercapacitors can charge and discharge within seconds. But they normally can’t store nearly as much energy as batteries, an important property known as energy density. One approach researchers are taking to boost supercapacitors’ energy density is to design better electrodes. Mitlin’s team has figured out how to make them from certain hemp fibers—and they can hold as much energy as the current top contender: graphene.
ARYAN'S BLOG 