Researchers at WashU have found a promising way to improve electrostatic capacitors using an innovative design of the ferroelectric materials that maintain electric polarization. The work caught the eye of component manufacturer Samsung Electro-Mechanics, which provided a $1.8 million grant to take this technology to the next level.
Capacitors are a key part of how many advanced electronic devices (including smartphones) function, storing energy in an electric field that can be released quickly as opposed to the slower-releasing chemical energy used in batteries. Capacitors are typically made of two conductive materials with an insulating material in between called the “dielectric,” over which the field will form.
In previous research, Sang Hoon Bae, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at WashU McKelvey Engineering, and colleagues demonstrated how they layered ferroelectric materials in a 2D/3D/2D structure only 30 nanometers thick (1/10 the size of a virus particle). The atomically thin design preserves the crystallinity of the materials and reduces energy loss.
“By minimizing the energy loss, we enhance the energy storage efficiency,” Bae said.
Read more on the McKelvey Engineering website.
