Overview
- The lab prototype recharges in seconds and survived more than 12,000 charge–discharge cycles, roughly equivalent to over 30 years of daily use.
- Electrodes use sub‑5‑nanometer nickel and iron clusters templated by proteins and embedded in a graphene-derived aerogel that is about 99% air, boosting reactive surface area.
- Fabrication combines bovine byproduct proteins with graphene oxide, followed by hydrothermal treatment and high-temperature baking to carbonize the proteins and strip oxygen.
- Energy density remains below lithium-ion levels, making the design unsuitable for electric vehicles but promising for grid storage and data-center backup power.
- The work, published in Small by an international team, is now probing other metals and non-bovine templates to improve scalability and manufacturing.