They discover a new material with properties for energy storage

Scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid have discovered a new and powerful material that has the purpose of storing energy. This material comes in the form of sheets of atomic thickness, called antimonene. One of its main characteristics is that it has a structure very similar to that of graphene, but with the ideal properties for storing energy.

In the tests carried out by the scientists in the laboratory, they discovered that this material stored energy in quantities four times greater than that of graphene, and in a stable way in both charge and discharge cycles.

Material origins

A few decades ago, graphene, a two-dimensional material made from carbon, was discovered. Since then, scientists have continued to develop new and different nanomaterials, which have a wide variety of applications and uses in our daily lives. Among all these applications, great advances have been found related to energy generation and storage.

In this way, scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid have discovered antimonene, a two-dimensional material of monatomic thickness composed of antimony atoms. This material had been previously discovered in theoretical studies, but it has not been until now that scientists have made it possible.

The researchers who made the discovery belong to the UAM Nanomaterials group, which is directed by Félix Zamora. In addition, these researchers had the collaboration of the UAM Sensors and Biosensors group, which is directed by Mª Encarnación Lorenzo.

Results of the investigation

According to the scientists who created it, this material has extraordinary rapid energy storage and release capabilities. In this way, it is capable of storing amounts of energy much higher than those of the material known as graphene.

The properties of this new material make it an excellent candidate for future research in the field of energy storage. In the future, it is estimated that this material can be used for more everyday use, such as electric vehicle motors or long-lasting batteries for small mobile devices.

On the other hand, thanks to the feasibility of using this new material as a supercapacitor, research is being carried out on its applications as a substitute for lithium in sodium batteries. This would be a great advantage given that there are not large quantities of this material left in nature. .

Although the use of supercapacitors is not as well known as that of cells or batteries, little by little they will be introduced into the market until they become a fundamental part of all types of devices and everyday objects.

Fountain: https://www.energias-renovables.com/ahorro/cientificos-de-la-uam-descubren-un-nuevo-20180903