Study: Building a better super-capacitor out of super-stinky durian fruit

Enlarge / Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "king of fruits," the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odor (often compared to rotten onions, raw sewage, or turpentine), and formidable thorn-covered husk. (credit: Danita Delimont/Getty Images)

The ubiquity in the modern world of consumer electronics has created a corresponding demand for better super-capacitors for energy storage, thereby enabling rapid-charging for our mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and electric cars. But the best materials for building high-performance super-capacitors are often costly. Now, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have successfully created a low-cost alternative, building electrodes for super-capacitors out of waste scraps from durian and jackfruit, according to a new paper in the Journal of Energy Storage.

"Durian waste, as a zero-cost substance that the community wants to get rid of urgently due to its repulsive, nauseous smell, is a sustainable source that can transform the waste into a product to substantially reduce the cost of energy storage through our chemical-free, green synthesis protocol," said co-author Vincent Gomes of the University of Sydney in Australia.

Scientists have typically relied on a variety of carbon-based materials as electrodes when building super-capacitors: activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets, for example. It's best to use materials that boast high porosity, since they help diffuse electrolytes through the electrodes, and to maximize surface area.

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