Supercapacitors: More Power With Ink

New Approaches in Energy Storage Supercapacitors: More Power With Ink

2025-08-27 From Michael Richter | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Supercapacitors store charge—so much so that these energy storage devices represent a real alternative to batteries in many applications. A research team at Empa has now demonstrated that their performance can be significantly enhanced with new materials and clever design.

The graphene electrode is the secret behind the new supercapacitors.(Image: Empa) — The graphene electrode is the secret behind the new supercapacitors.
(Image: Empa)

Unlike traditional batteries that rely on chemical reactions, supercapacitors operate purely physically: they store energy on the surface of their electrodes. This allows them to absorb and release massive currents in a very short time—ideal, for example, for braking and acceleration processes in vehicles or systems that require energy in an instant. However, their energy capacity has so far been limited, making their use challenging in many areas.

A New Approach

Empa researchers therefore opted for an approach based on material structure. They developed nanoporous electrodes with a surface area many times larger than that of conventional materials. Combined with novel electrolytes, this creates a storage architecture that can hold more energy without sacrificing charging speed. Crucially, the components remain stable over many thousands of charge and discharge cycles—a key advantage over batteries, which lose capacity over time.

Laboratory tests showed that the new supercapacitors not only store higher amounts of energy but are also more robust against temperature fluctuations. This opens up possibilities for use in areas where traditional batteries reach their limits—such as in industrial machinery, public transportation, or emergency power and grid stabilization systems.

Another advantage: The materials used in manufacturing are comparatively inexpensive and can be recycled more environmentally friendly than many common battery raw materials. For the researchers, this is a crucial step towards sustainable energy storage.

Particularly innovative is the use of a conductive "ink" composed of carbon nanotubes and polymers. It enables the production of electrodes through a printing process, where the fine pore structures can be precisely controlled. This significantly increases the active surface area for charge storage.

In the long term, the improved supercapacitors could help make the energy transition more practical. While they might not completely replace batteries, they could, in combination with them, create systems that are both durable and extremely powerful. (mr)

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Date: 08.12.2025

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