Nanoflowers Lead to Better Batteries

Oct-14-12 Researchers have created “nanoflowers” with an extremely high surface area, opening the door to a new generation of safe and efficient solar cells and batteries.

A team from North Carolina State University developed the nanoflowers by heating powdered germanium sulfide (GeS) to vaporization and then moving it to a cooler area of the furnace, causing the GeS to form a layered sheet about 30 nanometers thin and 100 micrometers long. Layering the sheets into a flower-like shape creates a structure with a great deal of surface area within a small amount of space and provides room for more lithium ions, increasing the capacity of batteries or supercapacitators.

GeS is also an efficient at gathering solar energy and converting it to power, which, combined with its non-toxicity and low cost, makes it an attractive material for creating solar cells.

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[NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY]

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