Using Nanotechnology to Develop a New High-Performance Energy Storage Device
The NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay today announced a new program initiative between the NSW Government and the South Korean province of Gangwon funding researchers at the University of Wollongong's (UOW) Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) that promises to have a huge impact on devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras.
Minister McKay made the $100,000 joint research grant announcement while making a special visit to IPRI based at the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM Building) on the Innovation Campus.
Ms McKay said IPRI and Korean researchers would use nanotechnology to develop a new high-performance energy storage device.
"The research could also improve the performance of electric vehicles and enhance the State's ability to harness wind and solar power technologies," Ms McKay said.
The UOW team will be led by Professor Gordon Wallace, who is Executive Research Director at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science and IPRI Director.
NSW Chief Scientist and Scientific Engineer Professor Mary O'Kane said a new hybrid energy storage device could combine the advantages of both lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors.
"Lithium-ion batteries store large amounts of energy but they don't deliver that energy quickly. On the other hand, supercapacitors deliver energy quickly but can only store modest amounts," Professor O'Kane said.
The researchers want to create a new hybrid device capable of storing and instantly generating large amounts of energy that can also be recharged many times.
The NSW Government is supporting this research project through its Department of State and Regional Development to help drive innovation and develop high technology links with Gangwon.