E fforts are being made to look for economical and more effective options for storing electrical energy. Indian researchers are now developing an cost effective Graphene-based supercapacitor that can be used to provide energy to various applications, including state-of-the-art defence applications, mobile devices and smart vehicles.

Supercapacitors, also known as ultra-capacitors are electrochemical devices used for the storage of electrical energy, whose popularity is growing rapidly. The activated carbon is an expensive material commonly used to produce such ultra-capacitors. Newly developed graphene oxide found to be a cost alternative material for producing ultra-capacitors, which has reduced its weight as well as its cost by ten times, say researchers.

Supercapacitors, also known as ultra-capacitors are electrochemical devices used for the storage of electrical energy, whose popularity is growing rapidly.

Cost of activated carbon used in other supercapacitors available in the market is up to Rs 1 lakh per kg. Scientists at the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, have developed a new technique for making graphene oxide, which is now being used to produce new ultra-capacitors.

“Scientists have developed a technique for producing graphene oxide at CMERI. The production cost of one kilogram of graphene oxide using this technique comes to around ten thousand rupees, which is much lesser than the cost of activated carbon used in supercapacitors. We have modified the surface of graphene oxide in our research, due to which it has also succeeded in reducing its weight. We have now reached at the advanced stage of making ultra-capacitors by using this graphene oxide which can be useful in various sectors”, said Dr Naresh Chandra Murmu, a scientist at CMERI.