Invention:
Researchers at the University of Arizona have succeeded in fabricating 3D nanostructured carbon electrodes in a novel method that is fast and inexpensive, using graphene and magnetic field aligned carbon nanotubes. The electrodes can be used in other electrochemical devices as well, such as glucose monitor, bio-analytic sensors etc. When formed into a supercapacitor, the resulting aligned activated carbon graphene nanotube (AGCN) supercapacitor showed twice the capacitance and significant improvement of energy density compared to unaligned ACGN supercapacitors.
Background:
Current methods of making graphene-carbon nanotube hybrid materials suffer from numerous limitations, including poor performance in efficiency, structural integrity, electrical conductivity, reduced porosity, and large scale bulk processing. Current methods also lack the ability to fine tune alignment of carbon nanotubes and graphene with respect to each other to create a true three dimensional electrode structure. Therefore, a need exists for more effective methods of making aligned graphene - nanotube hybrid electrode materials that are amenable to large scale bulk processing and provide electrodes with high surface area, high porosity, and enhanced structural integrity.
Applications:
- Supercapacitors
- Glucose monitors
- Bio-analytic sensors
Advantages:
- Relatively simple method for aligning the ACGNs
- Superior capacitance and energy density
Status: issued U.S. patent #10,614,966
