‘Laxatives’ may ease challenge of lithium-ion alternative
- Magazine Article
- 20AUTP02_10
- English
The R&D dimension of the automotive industry often reveals novel solutions and cross-linking between materials, but a team of international scientists has come up with something truly unusual: boosting supercapacitor power and efficiency using newly developed “laxatives.” It's all about developing improved electrolytes as part of a program to enhance supercapacitor performance, making them more practical with enhanced energy storage for use in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs).
To do this, the team designed a new class of detergents involving the use of self-assembled nanostructures in detergent-like ionic liquids (IL), to facilitate improved charge storage at electrified interfaces. These detergents are chemically similar to human laxatives, said Dr. Gavin Hazell, a chemistry lecturer at the