Professor of nanotechnology, materials and optics Jayan Thomas, who conducts extensive research in this area, explains how batteries work and what his team is doing to make batteries of the future limitless.

How Lithium Batteries Work

Batteries rely on electrons鈥� and ions’ movement to work. The positive, or anode, and negative, or cathode, ends of a battery must be connected through a circuit so that electrons can move around and power devices.

Rechargeable lithium batteries undergo a cycle of losing and gaining charge. When a battery is receiving charge from a power outlet, all of the lithium ions move into the cathode end of the battery where it is stored to be used later. Once a battery is completely charged, the ions leave the cathode end and flow directly to the anode side, which excites the electrons stored there. Only from the anode side of the battery can the lithium ions and electrons work together to send energy to the device. Once the lithium energy is used up, the device responds by dying, but once plugged into a power source, the lithium ions flow back to the cathode side.

Cables and Fibers that Can Store Energy

Energy travels from fibers in power lines into the wiring in your home to deliver a charge to batteries. But, how about using these fibers also to store energy?

Thomas and his team have transformed the outside of a standard copper cable into an energy storage device using nanotechnology. The energy storage is not affected by the electricity transmission through the core of the cable and vice versa. They can have multiple applications ranging from storing excess energy from solar panels to making wearable devices made with thin fibers conveniently chargeable, which聽聽is especially beneficial for people working outside in the sun for a long time.

For example, soldiers in the battlefield carry substantial loads of batteries to keep their gadgets charged. But delivering these batteries to soldiers in hostile environment is dangerous and extremely expensive. In future, these garments may enable soldiers and even firefighters to charge devices just by slipping them into a pocket.

Future Battery Charging

Thomas imagines untraditional ways of storing energy so that the charging of electric vehicles and electronic devices may become faster and more efficient in the future. One area Thomas is looking into is battery integrated solar panel that can be installed on the roof of an electric vehicle.

鈥淲hat we are looking at is the complete transformation from gasoline/hybrid vehicles to all-electric vehicles,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淭ake for example, a Tesla car. The charging time is around an hour if you use a supercharging station, and it takes more than eight hours to charge a car if a normal charging outlet is used completely. Many people do not want to drive long-distance if the charging takes that long. This is a major limitation for its widespread implementation. But imagine if charging took only ten minutes.鈥�

Which is why Thomas and his team are currently exploring ways to make batteries charge more efficient.

鈥淭his is where the energy harvesting comes into the picture,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淚f a solar panel attached to a car could also harvest and store energy while driving or parked in the sun, this extra energy can be beneficial to get additional miles.鈥�

鈥淏atteries are bound to play big roles in our future,鈥� says Thomas.

鈥淎ward funding buys a young company time. Time to negotiate a contract with better terms, time to further vet their plans, and time to accelerate their growth before taking dilutive capital.鈥� says Joseph Sleppy 鈥�18, the company鈥檚 CEO and a 麻豆原创 electrical engineering graduate. 鈥淲e would not be here without funding from sources, like competitions or grants. They bought us time to develop a product and prepare for our next steps. Non-dilutive funding supported the intellectual freedom and creative direction of Capacitech.鈥�

Capacitech won $15,000 in the 2019 Cade Museum Prize, which challenges inventors and entrepreneurs to demonstrate a creative approach to addressing real-world issues. The company was awarded $10,000 from Space Florida in the seed-funding category of the Florida Venture Forum鈥檚 Florida Early Stage Capital Conference, one of the largest such gatherings in the state. Additionally, Capacitech received $1,000 at the two-day tech conference eMerge Americas!.

Capacitech produces cable-based capacitors, a thin, wire-shaped device that stores energy. When installed into solar energy systems, the device works with the system鈥檚 equipment to enhance performance, improve efficiency, and extend their operating life, which will reduce consumer costs. The concept behind cable-based capacitors was developed by Capacitech cofounder Jayan Thomas, a 麻豆原创 nanotechnology professor and a specialist in energy conversion and storage.

鈥淪ince our beginning, Capacitech has been focused on using our technology to make the world a better place.” 鈥斅� Joseph Sleppy 鈥�18, Capacitech CEO

鈥淪ince our beginning, Capacitech has been focused on using our technology to make the world a better place. When I envision the future, I see cleantech. Capacitech鈥檚 cable-based capacitor is an enabling technology for cleantech and thus for the future, too.鈥� says Sleppy. 鈥淩ight now, Capacitech鈥檚 focus is solely on complementing residential solar power systems. Looking ahead, I see us complementing utility scale solar projects, too, as well as using our cable-based capacitors to energize a new age of electric vehicles, information technology backup power systems, medical technologies like exoskeletons, and space exploration, among a wide range of other areas.鈥�

Earlier this year, InnoEnergy 鈥� the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe 鈥� named Capacitech one of the top 30 startups in the world. The company won first place in the Florida Venture Forum鈥檚 Collegiate Business Plan Competition and received a highly competitive NSF Grant last year. In 2016, Capacitech won the 麻豆原创 annual Joust , a Shark Tank-like contest where 麻豆原创 students pitch judges on business concepts.

Sleppy gives credit to a wide range of entrepreneurial-support resources at 麻豆原创 for lending a hand into Capacitech鈥檚 growth and success. When he and Thomas established the company in 2016, they found assistance through the , the College of Business聽, and the . 麻豆原创 has placed an institutional emphasis on fostering relationships between entrepreneurs and innovators that will produce business partnerships like Capacitech.

鈥淚t is clear that 麻豆原创 is not just a university. It is part of an innovation and entrepreneurial community within a major metropolitan area that has been very inviting to up-and-coming companies like Capacitech,鈥� Sleppy says. 鈥淭hanks to Florida鈥檚 innovation ecosystem, we have another $26,000 of funding to apply towards building a Capacitech enabled future.鈥�

Nanoscience Professor Jayan Thomas and 麻豆原创 electrical engineering student Joe Sleppy launched Capacitech Energy LLC, to help commercialize one of their lab discoveries. They are developing innovative customizable cable capacitors, a necessary component for electronic circuits. Their technology would make it feasible for device manufacturers to streamline purchase of capacitors and save on both storage space and expense.

The team submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Small Business Innovation Research /Small Business Technology Transfer Program, which awarded Capacitech $225,000 in phase I funding to encourage the next-stage in commercialization of the product.

鈥淥ur supercapacitor technique has been patented and we have clearly shown its effectiveness,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲ith the help of this award we are moving towards the goal of making it manufacture-friendly.鈥�

Thomas developed the technique of building a copper wire-based capacitor that enmeshes all functions of a capacitor in one wire, eliminating the need for sometimes hundreds of different capacitors now necessary in a given device.

Capacitors perform important tasks such as streamlining power supply by reducing voltage spikes and typically manufacturers keep many different sizes of capacitors in stock to be certain that they have the size required for each role a capacitor plays in their product.

Capacitech is working to enable an electronics manufacturer to buy a spool of the cable capacitor which they could then cut at different lengths (customizing the capacitor) to meet their needs, which would reduce unit costs and inventory cost. This is an important step towards miniaturizing many of the existing electronic devices.

Thomas said that once the prototype is complete next year, the company will compete for a Phase II NSF award of up to $750,000 to move toward full-scale mass manufacturing.

Thomas and Sleppy both credit 麻豆原创鈥檚 suite of entrepreneurial support services 鈥� specifically the Office of Research and Commercialization鈥檚 I-Corps program and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, with helping them grow the business to full commercialization mode.

麻豆原创 is one of 37 universities nationwide that was selected by the National Science Foundation as an I-Corps site in 2015.聽 I-Corps is one of NSF鈥檚 signature programs to foster entrepreneurship that will lead to commercialization.

Thomas鈥� invention earned 麻豆原创 an R & D 100 innovation award in 2015. 聽 has placed second in the regional Department of Energy Megawatt competition and has been accepted to the Firespring Fund Accelerator Program and VentureWell E-Team program.

To learn more about the NSF SBIR/STTR program, .

Thomas has joint appointments in CREOL and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The breakthrough would essentially turn jackets and other clothing into wearable, solar-powered batteries that never need to be plugged in. It could one day revolutionize wearable technology, helping everyone from soldiers who now carry heavy loads of batteries to a texting-addicted teen who could charge his smartphone by simply slipping it in a pocket.

鈥淭hat movie was the motivation,鈥� Associate Professor Jayan Thomas, a nanotechnology scientist at the 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, said of the film released in 1989. 鈥淚f you can develop self-charging clothes or textiles, you can realize those cinematic fantasies 鈥� that鈥檚 the cool thing.鈥�

The research was .

Thomas already has been lauded for earlier ground-breaking research. Last year, he received an R&D 100 Award 鈥� given to the top inventions of the year worldwide 鈥� for his development of a cable that can not only transmit energy like a normal cable but also store energy like a battery. He鈥檚 also working on semi-transparent solar cells that can be applied to windows, allowing some light to pass through while also harvesting solar power.

His new work builds on that research.

鈥淭he idea came to me: We make energy-storage devices and we make solar cells in the labs. Why not combine these two devices together?鈥� Thomas said.

Thomas, who holds joint appointments in the College of Optics & Photonics and the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, set out to do just that.

Taking it further, he envisioned technology that could enable wearable tech. His research team developed filaments in the form of copper ribbons that are thin, flexible and lightweight. The ribbons have a solar cell on one side and energy-storing layers on the other.

Though more comfortable with advanced nanotechnology, Thomas and his team then bought a small, tabletop loom. After another 麻豆原创 scientists taught them to use it, they wove the ribbons into a square of yarn.

The proof-of-concept shows that the filaments could be laced throughout jackets or other outwear to harvest and store energy to power phones, personal health sensors and other tech gadgets. It鈥檚 an advancement that overcomes the main shortcoming of solar cells: The energy they produce must flow into the power grid or be stored in a battery that limits their portability.

鈥淎 major application could be with our military,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲hen you think about our soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, they鈥檙e walking in the sun. Some of them are carrying more than 30 pounds of batteries on their bodies. It is hard for the military to deliver batteries to these soldiers in this hostile environment. A garment like this can harvest and store energy at the same time if sunlight is available.鈥�

There are a host of other potential uses, including electric cars that could generate and store energy whenever they鈥檙e in the sun.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the future. What we鈥檝e done is demonstrate that it can be made,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be very useful for the general public and the military and many other applications.鈥�

The early-career professors were given Reach for the Stars awards as part of the celebration of Founders’ Day. President John C. Hitt selects the winners based on faculty members鈥� past four years of work. Recipients must be an assistant or associate professor and have attained significant research work during their early career. Many winners have already received National Science Foundation Career Awards recognizing their potential.

The Reach for the Stars winners get a $10,000 annual research grant for three years, which can be renewed based on their promising work. This is the third year 麻豆原创 has given Reach for the Stars Awards at Founders鈥� Day.

The 2016 winners are:

Xun Gong joined 麻豆原创 in 2005, and is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the College of Engineering & Computer Science. His research interests lie in the areas of microwave filters and passive components, sensors, flexible electronics, micromachining and ceramic materials. He has published 31 journal papers and 64 conference papers. Gong鈥檚 total research funding is $4.3 million, and he is currently the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation that total more than $1.7 million. Gong has received an NSF Faculty Early CAREER award, the most prestigious honor the NSF awards to a junior faculty member. Gong has received a number of research awards and recognitions: the College of Engineering and Computer Science Distinguished Researcher award, and the College鈥檚 CAE Link Faculty Fellow. He has established an advanced antenna and microwave research lab, and received a number of honors for his teaching, including the 麻豆原创 Teaching Incentive Program award in 2010 and 2015.

Annette Khaled joined 麻豆原创 in 2002 and is an associate professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and the College of Medicine, where she heads the Division of Cancer Research. One area of her research uses innovative therapies and techniques 鈥� including nanoparticles 鈥� to attack and destroy metastatic cancer cells that leave the original tumor and travel to the brain, bones and lungs. Khaled has participated in research that鈥檚 drawn $4.8 million in grant funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Florida Department of Health and others. She has been granted one patent and has five others in the application process, as well as a pending licensing agreement to allow her technology to be used in the treatment of breast cancer. She is a founding faculty member of the College of Medicine and helped develop its curriculum. Her research has appeared in 90 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts 鈥� more than 50 of those since coming to 麻豆原创. She has received an Outstanding Graduate Educator Award, Outstanding Service Award and a Research Incentive Award from 麻豆原创, as well as numerous awards from scientific organizations.

Seetha Raghavan, who came to 麻豆原创 in 2008, is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering within the College of Engineering & Computer Science. She holds joint faculty appointments in that college’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and also with CREOL: the College of Optics and Photonics. Her research makes air and space travel safer by focusing on engineering the mechanics of structures and materials to meet the extreme conditions associated with energy generation, aerospace propulsion and re-entry. Her research team has shown the ability to monitor the very thin layers of super strong coatings used to protect turbine blades as they are exposed to extreme conditions to get a clear understanding of how they fail. Raghavan has brought in more than $1.5 million in research funding, published 23 journal papers and more than 30 conference publications and posters, and has been granted two patents. Her private-sector research collaborations have included Boeing Research and Technology, Praxair and ALSTOM Power. Raghavan received the International Research and Collaboration Award from the University of Sydney in 2015, and a Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering award from the National Science Foundation in 2011. From her college, Raghavan received an Excellence in Research award in 2014, a Teaching Incentive Program award in 2013, and an Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award in 2012. She became an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2013 and a Lockheed Martin Faculty Fellow in 2012. She is consistently ranked highly by her undergraduate and graduate students.

Swadeshmukul Santra is an associate professor in the NanoScience Technology Center with a joint appointment in the College of Sciences鈥� Department of Chemistry. He is also an affiliated faculty of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. Much of his research focuses on the use of nanoparticles in the areas of agriculture and medicine. Since joining 麻豆原创 in 2005, Santra has brought in nearly $5.8 million in grants and other external funding to support his research. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Santra a $1.9 million 鈥淐enter of Excellence鈥� grant to develop a method for protecting the troubled citrus industry from Huanglongbing, better known as citrus greening. The same agency awarded $1.7 million to further develop Zinkicide technology, a nanoparticle aimed at curbing the same disease. Santra has developed novel probes capable of delivering anti-cancer drugs to cancer cells. The National Science Foundation continues to support his cancer research. Santra has 23 patents and more than 85 published articles. He received a 麻豆原创 Excellence in Research Award in 2015.

Jayan Thomas is an associate professor in the NanoScience Technology Center with joint appointments in the College of Optics & Photonics and the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Since joining 麻豆原创 in 2011, Thomas has published 24 peer-reviewed journal papers, has had two patents awarded and has another four patents filed. He has received more than $1 million in research funding as a principal investigator and another $800,000 as a co-principal investigator. Last year, Thomas was awarded an R&D 100 award 鈥� given to the top inventions of the year worldwide 鈥� for his development of a cable that can both transmit and store energy, which has far-reaching implications for electric vehicles, wearable electronics and the aerospace industry. In 2014, he received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and a 麻豆原创 Excellence in Research award, and was a finalist for the World Technology Network award by TIME Magazine and Fortune. Other areas of Thomas鈥� research include a method for limiting laser light attacks on commercial aircraft, a new technique for fabricating nanostructured supercapacitors, self-cleaning solar panels and more. He has worked to further the field of nanoscience by developing new master鈥檚 programs in the NanoScience Technology Center, helping launch the Nanotechnology Club at 麻豆原创, organizing annual NanoFest Florida community outreach events at public libraries, and delivering nanoscience talks to students at Valencia College and Eastern Florida State College.

Subith Vasu is assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering within the College of Engineering & Computer Science. Vasu, who came to 麻豆原创 in 2012, conducts research within 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research, and has a secondary joint appointment with the Florida Space Institute. He is internationally recognized as a top researcher in the field of combustion science and fuels. He received a Research Excellence Award from his college in 2016, and in 2015 received a Young Investigator award from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and a New Investigator award from the American Chemical Society. In a little over a year, he鈥檚 received a number of grants totaling more than $1.8 million. That includes a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate how power plants might be able to abandon the use of water to generate energy from steam and instead use supercritical CO2, a fluid state of carbon dioxide. He also received a U.S. Air Force faculty fellowship in 2015. Since earning his doctoral degree in 2010, Vasu has had 27 papers published in scholarly journals, as well as 51 conference papers and more than 20 invitations to present his research.

The award provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government, and consumers that tells potential customers that the product has successfully competed against other new technologies in open competition. Annually, the R&D Awards judging panel screens a sizable body of candidates to determine the finalists from the most innovative inventions of the previous year based on a formal entry.聽The 100 winners are announced at the annual event, which honors the high rollers of the science and technology industry on stage for their innovative, high-tech products and processes that are, or will, make a difference in our everyday lives.

This year鈥檚 R&D 100 Awards banquet took place earlier last month in Las Vegas. Thomas鈥� energy transmitting/storing cable technology was recognized among the 100 winners in the Mechanical/Materials category.

Interest in Thomas鈥� innovative research into electrical cables that can store and transmit energy鈥攁nd the nanowhiskers that form the foundation of this capability鈥攈as been gaining momentum at the national level. The technology has been featured by numerous media outlets and earned finalist status also for the 2014 World Technology Network Awards

鈥淲e鈥檙e developing a self-sustainable energy source that can be portable and used at any time, anywhere,鈥� said Thomas, who along with Rob Bernath, business development manager at the 麻豆原创 Office of Technology Transfer, accepted the R&D 100 Award on behalf of 麻豆原创. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a compelling proposition that has significant ramifications for a variety of industries including aerospace, heavy machinery and electric automobiles.鈥�

The motivation for the technology came to Thomas more than a year ago when he discovered some stray cables lying about while on a walk one evening. He had taken a stroll to ponder the subject of energy storage and in a burst of inspiration, a novel thought occurred to him: Cables transmit energy, but why can鈥檛 they also store it?

Thomas and his researchers, including 麻豆原创 graduate student Zenan Yu, focused on the core of the copper wire.聽They found that growing billions of nanowhiskers on the surface of the core, multiplies the total area and turns the wire into a dual-purpose (transmitting and storing) cable. Increasing the surface area via the nanowhiskers allows the wire to act like a battery鈥攃reating energy inside and storing it on the outside. This new electrical cable can replace conventional supercapacitors when it is used in place of standard, non-energy-storing wires.

鈥淲e envision the wire also being weaved into fabric so that your jacket can charge your electronic devices,鈥� said Thomas. 鈥淚n this scenario, you would just place your mobile smart device into your pocket to charge it鈥攖hat鈥檚 a game-changer.鈥�

Past winners have included sophisticated testing equipment, innovative new materials, chemistry breakthroughs, biomedical products, consumer items and high-energy physics.聽The R&D 100 Awards spans industry, academia and government-sponsored research.

Last year, 麻豆原创鈥攖ogether with NASA Kennedy Space Center, HySense Technology, an early-stage startup company鈥攔eceived an R&D 100 Award for developing a chemically sensitive tape that changes color in the presence of dangerous hydrogen leaks.

Thomas also was the recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award in 2014, 麻豆原创鈥檚 2014 Excellence in Research Award, and the Veeco Award for Best Nanotechnology Innovation in 2010.

Two-minute video from Inside Science TV illustrating this groundbreaking technology: 聽

The discoveries 鈥� each of them unrelated 鈥� will be presented at the 2015 TechConnect World Innovation Conference in Washington, D.C., from June 14-17. The annual event is designed to accelerate the commercialization of innovations out of the lab and into industry, and draws some of the brightest and most innovative researchers, funding agencies, national labs, international research organizations, universities, investors and corporate partners.

The 麻豆原创 discoveries are among the top 20 percent of submittals selected to receive TechConnect Innovation Awards. The technologies include:

Another member of the 麻豆原创 faculty, Jayan Thomas, will speak at the conference. Thomas, an assistant professor with the NanoScience Technology Center,聽the聽College of Optics and Photonics and the聽, was a finalist for a prestigious 2014 World Technology Network Award for his research on cables that can store and transmit energy.

That insight has led to research that is not only gaining the attention of other prominent researches and media throughout the world, but also brought Thomas recognition as a finalist for the prestigious 2014 World Technology Network Awards.

鈥淢y focus is to develop a portable, self-sustainable energy source that can be used anytime, anywhere,鈥� said Thomas, assistant professor, , CREOL and College of Engineering and Computer Science. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to be recognized for this work and really speaks volumes as to the importance of this research and the support it receives from 麻豆原创鈥檚 innovation and entrepreneurship programs.鈥�

The World Technology Network, in association with Time and Fortune magazines, annually recognizes leaders, thinkers and innovators from various backgrounds whose work contributes significantly to science, technology and other critical fields of study. Award winners and finalists include such world-renowned names as Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, Jane Goodall, famed chimpanzee expert, and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder.

A finalist in the energy category along with Elon Musk, SpaceX founder and Tesla Motors CEO, Thomas was among a prestigious collection of thinkers and innovators. The award celebration, which took place this past November, also featured award categories including biotechnology, law, media and journalism, policy, space and the environment.

An important emphasis of the awards is serendipity鈥攁ward nominees should have experienced coincidental and fortuitous discoveries during the course of their work. This dovetails well with Thomas鈥檚 chancing upon the cables while he was out walking.

The 麻豆原创 researcher said he snapped into action after getting his idea that evening. 鈥淭he next day I discussed this idea with my research student, Zenan Yu and directed him to work on developing such a device, and it took us about several months to develop and characterize them completely,鈥� he wrote in his response to a series of questions that were part of the awards process.

The technology has a great deal of potential for practical use. Cables that store and transmit energy have applications in aerospace, heavy machinery and electric automobiles, he explained.

Thomas and his team have been working closely with several of 麻豆原创鈥檚 programs鈥攊ncluding the , and to help transition his research to prototypes and then products.

鈥淓nergy storage, consumption and conservation are incredibly important issues and communities, organizations and nations throughout the world understand this,鈥� said Thomas.聽 鈥淩eceiving recognition from such a well-respected organization as the World Technology Network helps to shine light on the innovative research in this area being conducted at 麻豆原创.鈥�

He added that this level of attention can also help in attracting new students to the program who want to be a part of groundbreaking, energy research.

No stranger to awards, Thomas has won the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2014, the 麻豆原创’s 2014 Excellence in Research award, and the VEECO award for Best Nanotechnology Innovation in 2010.

Thomas鈥� work gained notoriety in recent years when he helped develop nanocluster technology that diffuses laser light, preventing pilots from being blinded by lasers on the ground. He said he remains steadfast in his commitment to bringing 鈥渁 self-sustainable, renewable energy source to the most remote corner of the earth.鈥�

Sounds like science fiction, but it may become a reality thanks to breakthrough technology developed at a 麻豆原创 research lab.

So far electrical cables are used only to transmit electricity.聽 However, nanotechnology scientist and professor Jayan Thomas and his Ph.D. student Zenan Yu have developed a way to both transmit and store electricity in a single lightweight copper wire.

Their work is the focus of the cover story of the June 30 issue of the material science journal Advanced Materials and science magazine has published a detailed discussion about this technology in the current issue.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an interesting idea,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲hen we did it and started talking about it, everyone we talked to said, ‘Hmm, never thought of that. It鈥檚 unique.鈥欌��

Copper wire is the starting point but eventually, Thomas said, as the technology improves, special fibers could also be developed with nanostructures to conduct and store energy.

More immediate applications could be seen in the design and development of electrical vehicles, space-launch vehicles and portable electronic devices. By being able to store and conduct energy on the same wire, heavy, space-consuming batteries could become a thing of the past. It is possible to further miniaturize the electronic devices or the space that has been previously used for batteries could be used for other purposes. In the case of launch vehicles, that could potentially lighten the load, making launches less costly, Thomas said.

Thomas and his team began with a single copper wire. Then he placed a sheath over the wire made up of nanowhiskers the team grew on the outer surface of the copper wire. These whiskers were then treated with a special alloy, which created an electrode. Two electrodes are needed for the powerful energy storage. So they had to figure out a way to create a second electrode.

They did it by adding a thin plastic sheet around the whiskers and wrapping it around using a metal sheath after generating nanowhiskers on (the second electrode and outer covering). The layers were then glued together with a special gel. Because of the insulation, the inner copper wire retains its ability to channel energy, but the layers around the wire independently store powerful energy.

In other words, Thomas and his team created a supercapacitor on the outside of the copper wire. Supercapcitors store powerful energy, like that needed to start a vehicle or heavy-construction equipment.

Although more work needs to be done, Thomas said the technique should be transferable to other types of materials. That could lead to specially treated clothing fibers being able to hold enough power for big tasks. For example, if flexible solar cells and these fibers were used in tandem to make a jacket, it could be used independently to power electronic gadgets and other devices.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲e take it step by step. I love getting to the lab everyday, and seeing what we can come up with next. Sometimes things don鈥檛 work out, but even those failures teach us a lot of things.鈥�

Yu is the co-author of the study. He works in Thomas鈥� Nano Energy-Photonics Group. It conducts research focused primarily on nanostructured supercapacitors and Lithiuim-ion batteries, nanoarchitectured light-trapping solar cells, photorefractive polymers for 3D display applications, and nonlinear optical materials.

Thomas is a faculty member at the 麻豆原创 Nanoscience Technology Center with joint appointments in the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He has multiple degrees including a master鈥檚 degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in material science. He is a recipient of National Science Foundation鈥檚 prestigious CAREER award. He鈥檚 received media attention 聽over the past few years for his work on lasers and advanced nanomaterials.

Gone are the goofy glasses required of existing sets. Instead, assistant professor Jayan Thomas is working on creating the materials necessary to create a 3-D image that could be seen from 360 degrees with no extra equipment.

鈥淭he TV screen should be like a table top,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淧eople would sit around and watch the TV from all angles like sitting around a table. Therefore, the images should be like real-world objects. If you watch a football game on this 3-D TV, you would feel like it is happening right in front of you. A holographic 3-D TV is a feasible direction to accomplish this without the need of glasses.鈥�

His work is so far along that the National Science Foundation has given him a $400,000 grant over five years to develop the materials needed to produce display screens.

When 3-D TVs first came on the market in 2010, there was a lot of hype and the market expected the new sets would take off. Several broadcasters even pledged to create special channels for 3-D programming, such as ESPN and the BBC.

But in the past year, those broadcasters have canceled plans because sales have lagged and the general public hasn鈥檛 adopted the sets as hoped. Some say that鈥檚 because the television sets are expensive and require bulky equipment and glasses.

Thomas鈥� approach would use new plastic composites made with nanotechnology to make the 3-D image recording process multitudes faster than currently possible. This would eliminate the need for glasses.

Thomas and his colleagues have developed the specific plastic composite needed to create the display screens necessary for effectively showing the 3-D images. That work has been published in the journals Nature and Advanced Materials.

Thomas has joint appointments in the 麻豆原创 NanoScience Technology Center, the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The NSF CAREER Award is the agency鈥檚 most prestigious award for junior faculty.