Capacitors that rapidly store and release electric energy are key components in modern electronics and power systems. However, the most commonly used ones have low energy densities compared to other storage systems such as batteries or fuel cells, which in turn cannot discharge and recharge rapidly without sustaining damage. Now, a team led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has demonstrated that by introducing isolated defects to a type of commercially available thin film in a straightforward post-processing step, a common material can be processed into a top-performing energy storage material. In a paper in Science , the team reported energy storage densities as high as ~133 joules per cubic centimeter with efficiencies exceeding 75%. The research is supported by the Materials Project , an open-access online database that virtually delivers the largest collection of materials properties to scientists around the […]