The Register reports
In a paper published at [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] (abstract), the researchers claim capacitance of more than 1,100 Farads per cubic centimetre--or around 1,145 Farads per gram, which is about as much as they reckon you could get out of the manganese dioxide (MnO2) in the cap.
Using a combination of graphene and MnO2, the researchers say the energy density they can achieve can be as high as 42 Watt-hours per litre, which is getting close to that of a lead acid battery.
It's not much yet: the demonstrator pictured below from the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute is one-fifth the thickness of paper, however it can hold charge long enough to power the demo LED overnight.
That, the university claims, beats a thin-film lithium battery on a pound-for-pound (or rather gram-for-gram) basis.
Manganese dioxide is cheap and plentiful, and is good at storing charge--which is why it's popular in dry-cell batteries and alkaline batteries.
The combination of the MnO2 and laser-etched graphene--the secret sauce in all of this--can be produced without dry rooms or extreme temperatures.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 06 2015, @10:58PM
Now when Obama wants to electrocute the testicles of political dissidents, he can do it for cheap!
(Score: 2) by arslan on Monday April 06 2015, @11:48PM
Is it cheaper than electric eels? You can make some Unagi afterwards as well...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 07 2015, @09:59AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AckvdGbk4w [youtube.com] ... finding an entrance where they can.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday April 07 2015, @02:09PM
My electrically powered hovercraft is full of eels.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh