Scientists from Queensland University of Technology have developed a new way to boost the efficiency of batteries with electrodes that can be recharged at a much faster rate based on the unique properties of bamboo. The study, which furthers research into 2D nanomaterials for the very fast transport of ions through a battery, was inspired by a water-carrying membrane inside bamboo that allows it to be the fastest growing plant in the world.

The lab of Ziqi Sun has been studying how best to mimic the structural and optical properties of natural objects – such as seashells that have inspired advanced optical thin films, fish scales that have inspired multifunctional nano-coatings – to develop sustainable energy solutions from low-dimensional nanomaterials.

What is the nanomaterial?

Nanometer materials refer to materials whose structural unit sizes are in the range of 1 nanometer to 100 nanometers. This new type of material was discovered by scientists in the middle of the last century. Due to its unique size and structure, this new type of material has acquired unusual capabilities.

Research in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has gained enormous interest in nanotechnology and materials science due to its remarkable physical and mechanical properties. 

One of the most promising applications of CNTs is in field emission (FE) devices. High aspect ratio and atomically sharp radius of apex curvature of the CNTs enhance the local field and lower the threshold field for electron emission. 

In recent years, a particularly attractive and novel strategy has become available for the fabrication of photoresponsive, porous, and crystalline molecular solids from appropriately functionalized chromophoric linkers. 

Diamond-like Nanocomposite (DLN) coatings are amorphous, hard and wear resistant coatings, deposited using a plasma-assisted CVD process. These coatings consist of two interpenetrating networks, one being a diamond-like carbon (a-C:H) network and the other a glass-like a-Si:O network. 

In recent years, advances in nanotechnology have promoted the development of reinforcements with dimensions at the nano-scale (10⁻⁹ m). This dimensional shift has opened new possibilities for altering physical properties of polymer matrices (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.) by incorporating relatively small amounts of nanofillers (several weight percent or less) .

Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskites, an important class of crystalline materials with excellent low-temperature solution processability and band structure tunability, have been known for decades. They have received great attention in recent years for applications in various types of optoelectronic devices, including photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes and optically pumped lasers.