Scientists have been looking into different devices to store energy since the 19th century. Over a span of almost two millennia, there have been two prominent answers – batteries and capacitors. Each of these devices had their own virtues and shortcomings that were addressed over time but there was always a stark difference between them. Batteries are capable of storing large amounts of energy for longer periods of time but take hours to accumulate the charge. On the other hand, capacitors are capable of taking in charge at a faster rate but lack the retentive capabilities of a battery. So, the obvious solution was to bring in the best of both worlds and thus, creating an ultimate energy storage device.
During the 1950s, there was an innovation in the field of capacitors that had higher retentive properties than its original predecessor without sacrificing its charging capabilities. Hence, the supercapacitor was born – an energy storing device that was efficient enough to store larger amounts of energies at the same charging rate of a normal capacitor. This bridged the gap between capacitors and rechargeable batteries. With the innovation of “supercaps”, the dream for an ultimate energy reserve was no longer a fictional one. Over the years, the supercaps have been perfected and have now gained a comfortable place as an important component in the electrical industry. The scientific community started taking an avid interest in this new-born idea and this resulted in extensive amounts of research. The architecture of the original supercap was now subdivided into 2 segments – Pseudocapacitors and EDCLs.
Electrostatic double-layer capacitors or EDCLs are closer to the conventional architecture of the capacitors – storing charges electrostatically using a Helmholtz double layer which consists of two parallel layers of charge formed over two different mediums (solid/liquid/gas).
Pseudocapacitors are a relatively newer invention that leans into the electrochemical aspect of modern age rechargeable batteries. This further bridged the gap and has several newfound advantages. Rechargeable batteries are based on an off-on reversible chemical reaction that has a charging-discharging cycle. The existing problem was the formation of undesired components in the battery which lowered the characteristics of the battery in the long run. So, Pseudocaps was pioneered as a replacement for the rechargeable batteries. They have a phenomenally high charge density and charging rate like a normal capacitor but can also store charges
comparable to a normal battery. This makes it arguably the ultimate charge storing device. The system works on 3 processes: Redox (Taken from batteries), Intercalation, Electrosorption (Taken from capacitors).
Supercaps (especially Pseudocaps) have slowly started to take over industry over the last decade. With automotive companies like Lamborghini and Tesla cashing into the vast market of Supercaps, it’ll be hardly anytime before others start following their footsteps. Although Supercaps are still not consumer-ready, they hold so much untapped potential (both literally and figuratively) that it’s safe to say we’ll get to see them in mainstream products and all the wonders they can do in years to come.
By:Aritro Sinha
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