Thread: Tell me about supercapacitors!

i didnt even know there was such a thing, but judging by the name, they must store a lot of energy. or who knows, maybe when they store energy, the enegy builds up, and realeses a lot more energy, somehow. but i dobt that.

Super<anything with electronics> have to be kept very close to absolute zero, so no, they are not the future. They are the future of the supercomputer and maybe the server industry, but not home computers.

They hold far more energy than previous capacitor technologies, but they're nowhere near being a battery solution for most applications. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electri...ayer_capacitor

Thanks for the replies. Physics is not my area or expertise. That's why I'm asking.

This company claims to have developed a supercapacitor that is supposed to be much better than anything that is on the market right now.
What do you guys think?

Yeah, there ae probably quiet a few companies with stuff like that, but right now the value added doesnt' cover the additional cost. IBM has quantum computers, but they're no where near ready to see a public yet.

Originally Posted by illidan

Thanks for the replies. Physics is not my area or expertise. That's why I'm asking.

This company claims to have developed a supercapacitor that is supposed to be much better than anything that is on the market right now.
What do you guys think?

Sounds great, but companies pop up everyday with brilliant "inventions" that are nothing more than smoke, mirrors, and empty promises to lure in investor money.

But if true, it's fantastic. Twice the energy density of lead-acid batteries, can be charged just as fast as you can pour current into it, never wears out for all practical purposes, and costs half what lead-acid batteries do to manufacture? Sounds a little TOO good, but who knows.

True, it sounds a little too good.

But, according to Wikipedia, major companies like Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, ZENN Motor Company and Lockheed-Martin have invested in this. And why should this company lie about it in their patent?

Originally Posted by ninja9578

Super<anything with electronics> have to be kept very close to absolute zero, so no, they are not the future. They are the future of the supercomputer and maybe the server industry, but not home computers.

Wrong. Do you even think before you spout such rubbish?

Not even modern superconductors have to kept close to 0 K. That's not to say that has ANYTHING to do with supercapacitors, which are simply capacitors with nanoscale surfaces for holding charge.

Check this out. This company is selling a cordless screwdriver with a supercapacitor: http://www.colemanflashcellscrewdriver.com/
Charge time: 90 seconds.

So obviously supercapacitors are not just a thing of the future. It would be awesome to have this kind of thing in a car or maybe a laptop.