Up to 3 Times Compared to Li-ion Batteries, Diamond May Shine in Energy Storage

Nanothread bundle's energy density is up to 3 times than that of Li-ion batteries, and recently Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers have developed the design of a new carbon nanostructure made from diamond nanothreads that could one day be used for mechanical energy storage, wearable technologies, and biomedical applications.

Relevant research results were published in Nature Communications, titled "High density mechanical energy storage with carbon nanothread bundle".

In the article, the diamond is a mineral composed of carbon, an allotrope of graphite, and the hardest substance naturally occurring in nature. Diamond is normally used in making ornamental gemstones or for manufacturing industrial scenes such as geological drill bits. In the Renaissance, Italian giants regarded it as a chronic poison. After taking the powder, the powder will stick to the stomach wall. Slowly, it will cause gastric ulcers and stomach bleeding, and eventually lead to death. Nowadays, to meet the growing energy demand, the mineral shines once again.

Current solutions for renewable energy supply mainly use industrial waste heat, solar photovoltaic energy, or harvest mechanical energy in the environment. Various energy harvesters including electromagnetic electrical energy generators, mechanical energy harvesters, and electrochemical harvesters are also occurring.

Facing the intermittent renewable energy, it forces large-scale energy storage to become an important issue in the energy field in the 21st century.

Based on this consideration, the research team of QUT came up with material, "carbon nanotubes (CNTs)". CNTs are one-dimensional nanomaterials with many abnormal mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties.

The researchers believe that due to the high strength and high modulus of CNTs, it should be feasible to use carbon nanotube-based fibers as a mechanical storage medium and energy harvester, compared to electrochemical batteries (such as Li-ion batteries ). It can also realize a fast, effective, and reversible energy charge cycle.

In recent years, researchers have been studied in carbon nanotubes extensively, and they focus on the structure of carbon nanotube fibers (such as woven structures, parallel structures, or twisted structures) and post-treatment (such as liquid shrinkage, penetration, and functionalization).

Inspired by this, the research team realized the possibility of manufacturing "high-strength diamond nanowire bundle", its surface is completely hydrogenated, so that interfacial covalent bonds can be introduced between the nanowires while maintaining the linear morphology and excellent mechanical properties, it can also trigger a strong mechanical interlocking effect between the nanowires or between the nanowires and the polymer matrix.

Through a series of investigations, the research team found that the nanowire bundle has a higher mechanical energy storage density, and the gravitational energy density will decrease with the change of the quantity of the wire bundle, among which twisting and tension are the main influencing factors.

Besides, the mechanical energy storage capacity of diamond nanowire bundles is similar to that of carbon nanotubes. The store for the nanowire bundle is up to three times to Li-ion batteries. The nanothread bundles could be used in next-generation power transmission lines, aerospace electronics, and field emission, batteries, intelligent textiles, and structural composites such as building materials.

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