BioSolar Files International Patent for Breakthrough Supercapacitor Technology

BioSolar, producer of innovative bio-based solar energy products and developer of a breakthrough supercapacitor technology, today announced that it has jointly filed an international patent application with the University of California, Santa Barbara ("UCSB") for "a multicomponent-approach to enhance stability and capacitance in polymer-hybrid supercapacitors." This invention forms the basis for the company's BioSuperCap technology.

Conventional batteries store electricity by changing the chemistry of their internal chemical compounds. During discharge, the chemistry is reversed and electrons leave the battery to power an attached load. The chemical reactions that convert electrical energy to and from chemical energy take time. Therefore they are slower to charge and discharge. On the other hand, supercapacitors store charge in sub-nanoscale crevices through electric fields that naturally form inside its structure. During discharge, electrons rapidly leave through the terminal without having to undergo slow chemical reactions. The challenge for supercapacitors is that while they can be charged and discharged rapidly, they do not store as much energy as batteries.

"Since solar energy is only available during the day and naturally sporadic because of weather and clouds, a large capacity and fast charge-discharge energy storage system is needed to quickly store the energy of the sun so that it can be used anytime -- day or night," said Dr. David Lee, CEO of BioSolar. "This game-changing solution will allow users of solar energy systems to time-shift solar energy to reduce their dependence on, or go completely off, the electric utility power grid. Such a solar energy storage system can be built by combining a BioSuperCap frontend with a battery backend."

Unlike conventional supercapacitors made from expensive materials such as activated carbon electrodes, solvents and organic electrolytes, BioSuperCap will be made from a very inexpensive conductive polymer electrode and with inexpensive electrolytes. Additionally, BioSuperCap materials are non-flammable, non-explosive and environmentally friendly, making it a safer device than conventional supercapacitors in more applications.