Way to Speed Up Charging of Electric Cars Found in Russia

According to the researchers, the material would significantly accelerate the charging procedure and increase the period of operation of electric cars and other vehicles, and would be used to create flexible wearable electronics. The results of the study were published in the Membranes magazine.

According to the scientists, due to the hardness and intrinsic fragility of conventional electrode material, it doesn’t allow the solving of many important problems associated with nano-electronics, such as the creation of supercapacitors or development of flexible and stretchable electronic devices attached to the skin.

According to the experts, multi-layer hybrid films based on graphene and carbon nanotubes present the most promising alternative. The material is characterised by structural flexibility, high electrical conductivity, chemical and thermal stability, as well as simplicity of modification and ease of manufacture, the SGU scientists said.

For the first time, specialists have found a structural configuration of the hybrid film that not only provides high electrical conductivity and electric capacity, but also allows the functional properties of the material to be maintained during deformation.

"We have found out that the width of the graphene nano-tape and the magnitude of the shift of the graphene plates determine the electrochemical properties of the hybrid film. During the axial stretching the resistance and other essential electrical characteristics of our material are preserved," - Olga Glukhova, Head of the Department of Radiotechnology and Electrodynamics of SGU said.

Due to these properties, the new hybrid film will become the optimal material for flexible electrodes of new generation supercapacitors, the SGU scientists explained. The researchers believe that by replacing the graphite electrodes used today with nano-hybrid ones it is possible to extend the service life of devices, significantly increase capacity and reduce the amount of time required to charge a battery.

"For example, supercapacitors based on our material may eventually allow electric cars to work without recharging several times longer, while the charging procedure itself will happen in just a few minutes, rather than a few hours. Even at the current stage of the research, it is obvious that our material can accelerate charging, at least doubling it," Olga Glukhova noted.

In the future, scientists plan to study in more detail the influence of deformation of different types on the electrical properties of hybrid films.