Cigarette Butts Offer New Energy Storage Option

Aug-09-14 A team of scientists have found a way to transform used cigarette butts into a high-performing energy storage material.

Cigarette filters are made up of cellulose acetate fibers, which the team discovered can be transformed via the pyrolysis process into a carbon-based material that could be used as a component for supercapacitors. The pyrolysis technique used to transform the filters includes a one-step burning technique that creates small pores of various sizes in the material, drastically increasing the material's total surface area. And, according to Professor Jongheop Yi: “A combination of different pore sizes ensures that the material has high power densities, which is an essential property in a supercapacitor for the fast charging and discharging."

The new carbon-based material was tested in a three-electrode system, where it was able to store more electrical energy than graphene, carbon nanotubes and carbon—all popular materials for use in supercapacitors. Based on these results, the research team hopes that coating a supercapacitor's electrode in the material could improve its energy storage abilities.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMAG.COM]
[IOP.ORG]

---