Eggshell membranes into a high-performance electrode material for supercapacitors

As incredible as it may sound, it seems they found a way to recycle the eggshell from the chicken eggs. It´s natural estructure, made of interconnected carbon fibers makes it a viable capacitor. Not only that, it´s porosity help in the process of conducting a potencial throught this unusual material. "We found that, due to its unique structure, the systematic conductivity of CESM is one order of magnitude higher than that of activated carbon, which makes it an ideal electrode material for high power density supercapacitors," says Li.

He points out that, with the rapid progress of nanotechnologies, more and more fancy materials are being developed with novel properties and through innovative new techniques.

"Using carbon materials as an example, carbon nanotubes and graphene have much higher intrinsic conductivities than the carbonized eggshell membrane that we fabricated, and they have great potential as electrode materials," says Li. "However, the biggest challenge is how to integrate these materials into an efficient system which carries the advantages of each materials and eliminating their respective disadvantages. I believe that this is one of the areas where we can learn a lot from nature. To read the full article, go here