Supercapacitor
Why it Matters?
Indian scientists have developed a lanthanum-doped silver niobate supercapacitor material with 100% efficiency and 118% capacity retention, marking a major breakthrough in green energy storage.
What You Should Know?
A supercapacitor, also called an ultracapacitor, is an advanced energy storage device that bridges the gap between conventional capacitors and lithium-ion batteries.
It offers ultrafast charging, high power density, long cycle life, and durability, making it ideal for renewable energy systems and electric vehicles.
Core components include:
Electrode: Solid conductor allowing charge transfer.
Electrolyte: Conductive solution enabling ion movement.
Separator: Prevents short-circuit between electrodes.
Current collector: Conducts electrons from/to the external circuit.
Unlike batteries, supercapacitors store energy through electrostatic charge (double-layer) or fast surface redox reactions (pseudocapacitance).
Applications range from regenerative braking in EVs to power backup systems, wearable electronics, and smart grids.
News:
Indian scientists from CeNS (Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences), Bengaluru, and Aligarh Muslim University have engineered a next-generation supercapacitor material.
The CeNS is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
The material is lanthanum-doped silver niobate (AgNbO₃) — a lead-free, eco-friendly compound with enhanced energy storage properties.
Lanthanum doping improved conductivity, shrank nanoparticle size (increasing surface area), and led to 100% coulombic efficiency with 118% capacity retention after long use.
A prototype asymmetric supercapacitor using this material successfully powered an LCD display, showing its practical potential.
Research was published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
The material supports India’s push for clean, efficient, and scalable energy storage solutions for EVs, portable electronics, and renewable systems.
The discovery highlights the importance of rare-earth doping in energy materials innovation.