MIT develops new ionic liquids to improve supercapacitor performance
According to foreign media reports, a supercapacitor is an electronic device capable of storing and releasing energy, with a layer of electrolyte-a conductive material that can be solid, liquid, or between solid and liquid. Now, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has collaborated with several institutions to develop a new type of liquid that may improve the efficiency and stability of such equipment while reducing flammability.
(Photo source: MIT)
The researchers said that the study may represent a new paradigm for electrochemical energy storage. A few decades ago, researchers have discovered a new material-ionic liquids (essentially liquid salts), but the team added a compound to this type of ionic liquids, which is used to disperse the surface activity of the leaked oil. Agents are similar. After adding the compound, the ionic liquid "has very novel properties and becomes very viscous." The researchers said: "It is difficult to imagine that this viscous liquid can be used to store energy, but we found that once the temperature is increased, the Liquid can store more energy than many other electrolytes. "
But in fact, this is not very surprising, because the viscosity of other ionic liquids will decrease as the temperature increases, and the ability to store energy will also increase. However, the current situation is that although the viscosity of this ionic liquid is still higher than that of other known electrolytes, its capacity still increases rapidly with increasing temperature, and eventually its overall energy density exceeds the energy density of many traditional electrolytes, and Stability and safety are also higher.
The liquid's efficient energy storage capacity comes from the fact that the molecules inside it will automatically arrange themselves, and eventually will form a layered structure on the surface of the metal electrode. Such molecules have a tail at one end, and after arrangement, the head may face the electrode or away from the electrode, and the tail will gather in the middle to form a sandwich-like structure, called a self-organized nanostructure.
Such highly ordered structure can prevent the occurrence of "transitional filtration" phenomenon, which may occur in other ionic liquids. When it occurs in other ionic liquids, the first layer of ions (charged atoms or molecules) collected on the surface of the electrode contains more ions than the corresponding charge on the surface, resulting in a more dispersed ion distribution or a thicker ion layer , Leading to inefficient energy storage. However, due to the special structure of the liquid made by the researchers, the charges are concentrated on the surface of the electrode.
Researchers call this new material SAILs, or surface-active ionic liquids, which have many applications in high-temperature energy storage, such as in high-temperature environments such as oil drilling or chemical plants. "Our electrolytes are very safe at high temperatures and perform better. In contrast, some electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries are very flammable."
Researchers say the material can help improve the performance of supercapacitors. Supercapacitors can be used to store electrical energy and are sometimes complementary to electric vehicle battery systems, which can provide additional power for electric vehicles. Compared with traditional electrolytes, the energy density of supercapacitors using this new material has increased by 4 to 5 times. Compared with batteries, with the new electrolyte, future supercapacitors may be able to store more energy, and may even replace batteries in applications such as electric vehicles, personal electronic products, or grid-level energy storage facilities.
In addition, the material may also be used in various emerging separation processes. Many newly developed separation processes require electrical control, such as carbon dioxide capture and resource recovery from waste in various chemical processing and refining applications, and such highly conductive ionic liquids are very suitable for such applications.
The materials initially developed by the researchers are just one possibility of SAIL compounds, and the team will continue to develop different possible compounds and optimize parameters for specific uses. (Author: Yuqiu Yun)
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