Fern Fractals Inspire Better Energy Storage

Fern Fractals Inspire Better Energy Storage
Apr-03-17
A new energy storage technology inspired by the fern leaf could lead to smaller and more efficient ways to store solar energy.

Developed by a team from RMIT, the electrode was created to work with supercapacitors, and was based on the fractal design of the veins of the western sword fern, which are packed tightly within the leaves. According to the study’s co-author, Min Gu, the new electrode, made of graphene, mimics this design to improve the energy storage at the nano-level.

In tests, the prototype was able to increase the storage capacity of supercapacitors by up to 30 times more than current limits.

Image: A western sword fern leaf magnified 400 times, showing the self-repeating fractal pattern of its veins.

Fern Fractals Inspire Better Energy Storage


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[INHABITAT.COM]
[RMIT.EDU.AU]
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