Materials Science World Congress

One of the newest developments in energy storage technology is nanographene batteries. The superlatively unique properties of a sheet of graphene, consisting of just one layer of carbon atoms in a two-dimensional lattice, were harnessed in its structure. Being electrically conductive, with such a high surface area and mechanical strength, graphene-based materials, particularly in battery technologies such as lithium-ion and supercapacitors, may be more highly improved.

The main advantage of nanographene batteries is an improvement over much higher levels than standard batteries of energy density and charge/discharge rates. Graphene is known to have an ultrahigh surface area that leads to having many sites active for the lithium ions thus promoting increased ion diffusion and improved capacities of charge storage. That is precisely a feature that can be really useful especially in such applications if fast charging and discharging rates are required, as in an electric vehicle or for portable electronic devices.

Thermal conductivity will also be enhanced in nanographene batteries because it will dissipate heat from charging and discharging cycles. Indeed, the management of heat is important to sustain performance ratings and even manage problems associated with safety in high-performance applications. In terms of mechanical strength, graphene resistance contributes to durability and sustainability factors for the battery such that degradation will be less likely to happen with the passage of time.

The optimizations of synthesis and integration of graphene into the architectures of a battery are focused research areas. Techniques for the synthesizing of good-quality nanographene through chemical vapor deposition, liquid-phase exfoliation, or electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide will be considered to move forward in such research.