The technical paper and its supplement provide an extreme “deep dive” electrochemical analysis-it’s among the most detailed I’ve seen for this type of project. The researchers found that wo electrodes made of this material, and then separated by a thin space or an insulating layer, form a very powerful supercapacitor. The material is then soaked in a standard electrolyte material, such as potassium chloride salt, which provides the charged particles that accumulate on the carbon structures. In the end, there’s an extremely large surface area within the confines of a relatively small volume. These structures have a fractal-like structure, with larger branches sprouting smaller branches, and those sprouting even smaller branchlets, and so on. The water naturally forms a branching network of openings within the structure as it reacts with cement, and the carbon migrates into these spaces to make wire-like structures within the hardened cement. The researchers achieved this by introducing carbon black-which is highly conductive-into a concrete mixture along with cement powder and water, and letting it cure. Their approach uses a cement-based material with an extremely high internal surface area due to its dense, interconnected network of conductive material within its bulk volume. (Note: Carbon black is a common industrial material produced from incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products, and contrary to misconceptions, is very different than charcoal.) The Science Behind Carbon Black in Concrete: A Potential New Paradigm in Energy Storage Now, a team of researchers at MIT and the affiliated Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering claims to have devised a technical and cost-effective solution using relatively mundane materials: concrete, carbon black, water, and potassium-chloride salts. ![]() The high-density energy stage has always been a challenge, whether accomplished using electrochemistry and batteries, electric fields and supercapacitors, gravity-based systems of various types, or any of the many other options. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |