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Friday, 18 November 2011 19:27 |
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The Prizes of the Foundation for Polish Science, also called the “Polish Nobel Prizes”, were awarded once again. Prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Frąckowiak from the Department of Chemical Technology at the Poznań University of Technology was also among the four Polish scientists honored this year. Professor Frąckowiak was awarded for research on new materials and carbon composites and their use for electrochemical storage and energy conversion.
Carbon materials developed by the FNP Prize winner include in particular carbon nanotubes and carbon composites enriched with nitrogen, oxygen and iodine. There form the basis of the technology applied in supercapacitors. Supercapacitors are devices with a high capacitance, able to quickly download and return large power values. They are used in, among others, the automotive industry (hybrid and electrical cars), energy industry (backup power supply systems stabilizing the operation in the network) and in industries producing mobile devices. Owing to their properties, they can provide a partial alternative for fuels responsible for high carbon dioxide emission. They also enable storing and transferring energy generated from renewable resources – wind and solar energy, geothermal sources. Thus, they are an important element of the process of searching for solutions to problems of energy shortage and environmental pollution. |
