A group of researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis may have discovered working ferroelectric capacitors. Using a combination of 2D and 3D structures, this discovery could lead to real-world applications of this elusive, promising electrical storage solution.
Electrostatic capacitors are critical for energy storage and power in modern devices, from smartphones and laptops to medical and industrial equipment. Ones made from ferroelectric materials have long been sought to dramatically increase the efficiency of capacitors. However, they have long been plagued with technical problems.
Due to their properties, ferroelectric capacitors suffer significant energy loss, making achieving high energy storage capacity difficult. To this end, Sang-Hoon Bae, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at McKelvey, sought to find a way to overcome these limitations.
In a new study published in Science’s April 18 publication, Bae and his team proposed a method for controlling the relaxation time of ferroelectric capacitors using 2D materials. Relaxation time refers to an internal material property that describes how long it takes for charge to dissipate or decay.
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