- The research said the use of dopamine and calcium ions leads to a significant improvement in mechanical performance
- The team was able to create very strong and stiff electrodes based on dopamine functionalized graphene and Kevlar nanofibers
According to a report by ANI, as more and more experts are emphasising over usage of electric vehicles for a sustainable future, a major challenge in this has to do with mass as even the most current electric vehicle batteries and supercapacitors are quite heavy. A team led by Dr Jodie Lutkenhaus, a professor in the Texas Artie McFerrin department of chemical engineering, believes that lighter electric vehicles can be achieved by storing energy within the structural body panels.
In an article published in Matter, the research team described the process of creating new supercapacitor electrodes that have drastically improved mechanical properties. The team was able to create very strong and stiff electrodes based on dopamine functionalised graphene and Kevlar nanofibers.
Dopamine used
The report said that Dopamine, which is also a neurotransmitter, is a highly adhesive molecule that mimics the proteins that allow mussels to stick to virtually any surface. The use of dopamine and calcium ions leads to a significant improvement in mechanical performance.
Highest multi functional efficiency for graphene-based electrodes
The researchers reported supercapacitor electrodes with the highest multifunctional efficiency (a metric that evaluates a multifunctional material based on both mechanical and electrochemical performance) for graphene-based electrodes. The research led to an entirely new family of structural electrodes, which can help in the development of lighter electric vehicles and aircraft.
