Aqueous energy storage device promises rapid charging of portable electronics

Researchers at Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new type of aqueous energy storage device that they claim can be charged in less than half a minute.

Employing aqueous electrolytes instead of flammable organic solvents, the device is claimed to enable a boosting charge with high energy density, potentially making it suitable for a range of portable electronic devices.

According to the group, which was headed up by Prof Jeung Ku Kang from the Graduate School of Energy, Environment, Water, and Sustainability the system owes its performance to a design that assembles fibre-like polymer chain anodes and sub-nanoscale metal oxide cathodes on graphene.

Conventional aqueous electrolyte-based energy storage devices have a limitation for boosting charges and high energy density due to low driving voltage and a shortage of anode materials.

Energy storage device capacity is determined by the two electrodes, and the balance between cathode and anode leads to high stability. In general, two electrodes show differences in electrical properties and differ in ion storage mechanism processes, resulting in poor storage and stability from the imbalance.