Graphene, a form of carbon, is transparent and flexible conductor with a range of applications including in making solar cells, light-emitting diodes, touch panels and smart windows.
Graphene supercapacitors serve as energy storage devices with a capacity for faster charging and longer life span than traditional electrolytic batteries.
Graphene consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is the strongest material to be ever tested, conducts heat and electricity efficiently.
A group of researchers at Nagpur-based Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology have developed a new technique which promises to help produce high value graphene from discarded dry cells batteries.
Since graphene is made out of graphite, its production is both expensive and has significant environmental impact.
A typical dry cell battery has a graphite rod at the centre. A technique has been developed to produce graphene from graphite rods in used batteries.
This technique has been able to achieve a 88% yield of graphene from a single graphite rod. It can be scaled up to the industrial level. A patent has been filed for the same.
The group has also started using graphene produced from batteries for various applications by fictionalizing it with metal oxide nano-structures.
Researchers have developed a composite with titanium oxide, which has proved to be effective as a sensor for carbon monoxide gas.
The material was tested on samples with carbon monoxide concentration of up to 100 parts per million and it worked well.
This is a ‘India Science Wire’ story; edited by Clean-Future Team