Improving Models of How Supercapacitors Charge

Supercapacitors are useful in situations that require bursts of power, such as emergency exit doors of aircraft, because they can store large quantities of electrical charge in relatively small volumes, and they can discharge quickly. But models of the porous electrodes used in these devices underestimate—by several orders of magnitude—the time it takes for them to charge. Now, Cheng Lian of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and colleagues have developed a new model for these electrodes that predicts charging times that are much closer to real values. The result may help researchers design safer and more effective devices for energy storage.