A new material structure could revolutionize energy storage by enabling the capacitors in electric vehicles or devices to store energy for much longer, scientists say.
While batteries can store energy for a long period, they take a long time to charge and discharge electricity. This is where capacitors come in — they store electricity in an electric field that can be quickly charged and discharged for rapid access to power as needed. Some capacitors use ferroelectric materials to store energy. These materials are naturally polarized, which can be reversed by applying a voltage. When the polarization is reversed, this remains in the capacitor like ‘memory’, even after the voltage is removed.
The new structure sits in a physical and chemical balance between conductivity and non-conductivity, letting it more effectively retain energy. By accident, the researchers found that a tiny gap in the core increases the relaxation time — a term used to describe the period over which the capacitor loses charge.