Boron-infused graphene ‘can aid creation of wearable supercapacitors’

US researchers have developed a simple new manufacturing process that allows them to fuse boron with graphene to create superior supercapacitors for wearable devices.

The Rice University study built on the facility's existing technique of using commercial lasers to create thin, flexible supercapacitors by burning carbon patterns into common polymers to a depth of 20 microns on the top layer, creating a foam-like matrix of interconnected graphene flakes.

By first infusing the polymer with boric acid, the researchers have been able to quadruple these supercapacitors' ability to store an electrical charge, while greatly improving its energy density.

James Tour, a professor of materials science, nanoengineering and computer science at Rice University, said: "What we've done shows that huge modulations and enhancements can be made by adding other elements and performing other chemistries within the polymer film prior to exposure to the laser."

This could prove useful in the creation of robust, high-performance wearable electronics at a time when devices of this kind are becoming an increasingly important area of medical research, due to their noninvasive nature and real-time monitoring benefits.

It is thought that this method can also be used to enhance the creation of catalysts, field emission transistors and components for solar cells and lithium-ion batteries.