Energystorage devices like batteries and supercapacitors are playing a prominentrole in meeting our global energy management for greener and more energybalanced world. Hence building a lightweight supercapacitor which is expectedto meet future energy needs is important. Textiles are known for theirlightweight, porosity, high surface area and other properties which perfectlymeet the requirements for building a supercapacitor. Fabrics must be impartedwith charge storage ability by coating materials which have superiorcapacitance values. Conducting polymers, Carbon nanotubes, metal oxides areconductive materials which would give charge storing ability to textiles whencoated. A brief overview about supercapacitors and above said conductivematerials with their capacitance principles is given in this article.

SUPERCAPACITORS (SCS)

Thepower requirements for a number of portable' electronic devices have increasedmarkedly in recent years and have exceeded the capability of conventionalbatteries to such an extent that great attention is being focused onelectrochemical supercapacitors (SCs) as energy storage systems. Energy storagedevices are classified according to energy and power density. Power density isrelated to the "strength" (wattage) of a given current and voltagecombination, while energy density is related to the "duration" oftime that wattage can be applied.

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This article was originally published in the Textile Review magazine,September, 2012, published by Saket Projects Limited, Ahmedabad.

About the Authors:

Sivasubramaian S.P.,Neha A., S.B. Vanbhatte & P.V. Kadole are associated with D.K.T.E.S'sTextile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji