Iranian researchers have produced a nanocomposite containing graphene and gold nanoparticles that can improve the efficiency of electrochemical capacitors as an electrode.
According to Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council, the nanocomposite was produced at laboratorial scale through a green chemistry method by using relatively cheap raw materials, Mehr News Agency reported.
The main objective of the research was to use materials at a reasonable price to produce a special type of electrode to be used in electrochemical capacitors.
In this research, a nanocomposite was produced through an easy method, which can replace expensive materials, including ruthenium oxide, in energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. Supercapacitors can store tremendous amounts of energy and are used in solar power applications, battery applications, flashlight applications, etc. Aside from the fact that the supercapacitors can be charged very quickly due to their low internal resistance, they can just as quickly be discharged and tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.
Raw materials used in the production of the nanocomposite are widely available and relatively cheap compared to those in similar supercapacitors, and they can be easily synthesized through electrochemical methods.
The conductive polymer of polyaniline, containing very small amount of graphene and gold nanoparticles, has been used in the production of the nanocomposite.
The presence of a small amount of graphene significantly increases the stability of polymer while gold nanoparticles increase the conductivity of the polymer. Therefore, the application of this nanocomposite can help increase the use of green energy and energy storage systems.
