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New Nanotech Could Allow Phones to Fully Charge in Seconds

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IN BRIEF
  • Nanotech supercapacitors will allow seconds long charging to last for days even after 30,000 cycles.
  • The technology is still at the proof-of-concept stage but is set to revolutionize small electronics.

BITE-SIZE SUPERCAPACITORS

Consumer electronic devices are becoming more powerful while shedding or maintaining size. These smaller gadgets require significant amounts of energy, which current batteries don’t exactly efficiently provide yet, especially after extended use. Scientists from the University of Central Florida (UFC) have developed a very thin, flexible supercapacitor with high energy density.

The team from UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center figured out a way to use two-dimensional materials as supercapacitors, solving the problem of size. Presumably, for a supercapacitor to hold the same amount of energy as existing lithium-ion batteries have to be much bigger than current batteries. “We developed a simple chemical synthesis approach so we can very nicely integrate the existing materials with the two-dimensional materials,” said lead researcher Yeonwoong Jung, an assistant professor at UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center and the Materials Science & Engineering Department.

Credits: University of Central Florida

The two-dimensional material used is called transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Not only is it small, it also allows for faster electron transfer — aka, faster charging and discharging — thanks to a highly conductive core. The supercapacitors are made of millions of nanometer-thick wires with two-dimensional material shells coating.

RESHAPING MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

The supercapacitors are also more durable. They don’t degrade quickly over time, even after being recharged 30,000 times. Conversely, lithium-ion batteries suffer in performance after about 1,500 charging cycles.

“If they were to replace the batteries with these supercapacitors, you could charge your mobile phone in a few seconds and you wouldn’t need to charge it again for over a week,” Nitin Choudhary explained.

The technology is not yet ready for commercial use, in fact, Jung is currently working to have it patented. Once it becomes available, it could be the future of electronics, from smartphones to wearables, and even electronic vehicles. “[T]his is a proof-of-concept demonstration, and our studies show there are very high impacts for many technologies,” said Jung.

Intel debuts 3-D transistors; cars, phones, spacecraft get smarter.

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The electronics in your world — from your car to your smartphone to your appliances and even wind turbines — just took another leap forward.

Intel on Wednesday announced the debut of its Tri-Gate transistors, the world’s first in three dimensions and the next step in sustaining Moore’s Law.

The new transistors — which will first appear in 22-nanometer microprocessors codenamed “Ivy Bridge” — will allow higher performing gadgets with less power consumption.

Transistors, of course, are the building block of electronics. They’re in the processor in your laptop, they’re in the control systems in your space shuttle, they’re in medical devices and household appliances and virtually anything that has some degree of intelligence to it.

The problem with sustaining the pace of Moore’s Law — in which transistor density doubles every two years — is that device dimensions have become so small that Moore’s Law was running up against the laws of physics itself. Intel claims the transistor’s new three-dimensional structure removes this hurdle.

It also allows for higher performance and increased energy efficiency compared to conventional transistors. That means more electronics in more places taking up less space — important if we plan to digitize the real world, taking computing out of the computer and putting it into highways, bus stops and other everyday objects that could use a dose of smarts.

The new transistor, as described by Intel:

The 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are a reinvention of the transistor. The traditional “flat” two-dimensional planar gate is replaced with an incredibly thin three-dimensional silicon fin that rises up vertically from the silicon substrate. Control of current is accomplished by implementing a gate on each of the three sides of the fin – two on each side and one across the top — rather than just one on top, as is the case with the 2-D planar transistor. The additional control enables as much transistor current flowing as possible when the transistor is in the “on” state (for performance), and as close to zero as possible when it is in the “off” state (to minimize power), and enables the transistor to switch very quickly between the two states (again, for performance).

Intel says its structure allows engineers to manage density, not unlike a skyscraper in a crowded city, which allows more use of less space by looking up.

“Amazing, world-shaping devices will be created from this capability as we advance Moore’s Law into new realms,” Intel CEO Paul Otellini said in a statement.

source: IBM/ smart planet