{
    "title": "Energy-Storage Membrane",
    "inventor_name": "Xie Xian Ning",
    "publication_year": 2011,
    "device_name": "Energy-Storage Membrane",
    "goal": "Provide a low-cost, environmentally-friendly energy-storage solution that surpasses the performance of rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors.",
    "problem_addressed": "High cost, scaling difficulty, and environmental concerns of liquid-electrolyte batteries and supercapacitors; limited capacitance of conventional capacitors.",
    "concept_summary": "A solid-state, polystyrene-based polymer membrane (including sulfonated polymer PSSH) is sandwiched between two metal plates, acting as a highly polarizable ion-conducting capacitor with capacitance ~0.2 F/cm^2, low cost per farad, and good cycle life.",
    "detailed_description": "The researchers deposited a soft, foldable polystyrene-based polymer membrane that, when placed between charged metal plates, stores electrical energy through ion-conducting channels and high polarizability. The membrane exhibits a capacitance of about 0.2 F per square centimetre (far above the typical 1 uF/cm^2 of standard capacitors), an open-circuit voltage of ~3.0 V, and negligible capacity fading after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. The cost to store each farad is reduced from ~US$7 (liquid electrolytes) to US$0.62. Prototype devices demonstrated linear scaling of capacitance with membrane area, high polarization currents (~250 mA/cm^2 at 10 V), and durability at room temperature.",
    "category": "Materials Science & Ceramics",
    "principles": [
        "Ion conduction through sulfonated polymer",
        "Electrostatic polarization",
        "Capacitive energy storage",
        "Solid-state electrolyte"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Electrical Engineering",
        "Materials Science",
        "Nanotechnology"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Ionic conductivity in polymer network",
        "Polarizable membrane storing charge",
        "Charge separation between metal plates"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Polystyrene-based polymer",
        "Poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSSH)",
        "PEDT:PSSH composite film",
        "Nanomaterial (proprietary nanomaterial)"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [],
    "inputs": [
        "Electrical voltage",
        "Current"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Stored electrical energy",
        "Capacitive discharge"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Capacitance ~0.2 F/cm^2, open voltage 3.0 V, cost $0.62 per farad, energy density 10-20 Wh/US$, $2.5 Wh/US$ for Li-ion, negligible capacity fading after 1000 cycles.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Prototype devices demonstrated 0.2 F/cm^2 capacitance, linear scaling with area, polarization current ~250 mA/cm^2 at 10 V, cost per farad $0.62 vs $7 for conventional devices, and durability over 1000 cycles at room temperature.",
    "replication_status": "Patent filed; no independent replication reported in the article.",
    "keywords": [
        "Energy storage",
        "Supercapacitor",
        "Polymer membrane",
        "Ion-conducting polymer",
        "Solid-state capacitor",
        "Cost-effective energy storage"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Supercapacitors",
        "Lithium-ion batteries",
        "Hybrid vehicles",
        "Solar panels",
        "Wind turbines"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.9,
    "practicability_score": 0.7,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.6,
    "risk_score": 0.1,
    "trl_estimate": 5,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://www.sciencedaily.com",
        "http://www.nus.edu.sg/ilo/faculty/NRF_POC_Awardees_POC5.html",
        "http://ilo.technologypublisher.com/technology/7793",
        "http://www.materialsviews.com/details/news/1291123/Water-loving_electrodes_store_more_charge_Ionic_conductivity_in_supercapacitors.html"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "National University of Singapore Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative",
        "Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART)",
        "National Research Foundation"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Hybrid vehicle instant power storage",
        "Solar panel energy management",
        "Wind turbine power smoothing",
        "Grid-scale energy storage"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Scalability and commercial production not yet demonstrated",
        "Long-term durability beyond 1000 cycles unverified",
        "Reliance on polymer stability under varied environmental conditions"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "How does the membrane perform under extreme temperatures?",
        "What is the lifetime of the membrane in real-world cycling (>10^4 cycles)?",
        "Can the technology be integrated with existing battery management systems?",
        "What are the manufacturing costs at mass-production scale?"
    ],
    "red_flags": [
        "Patent pending, limited independent verification",
        "Performance claims based on prototype data only"
    ],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The researchers used a polystyrene-based polymer to deposit the soft, foldable membrane that, when sandwiched between and charged by two metal plates, could store charge at 0.2 farads per square centimetre.",
        "The cost to store each farad falls to an impressive US$0.62. This translates to an energy cost of 10-20 watt-hour per US dollar for the membrane, as compared to just 2.5 watt-hour per US dollar for lithium ion batteries.",
        "The membrane-based capacitor can have an average capacitance of ~0.2 F/cm^2, energy of 0.33 J/cm^2 and charge of 0.39 C/cm^2 across various constant resistances from 1.2 to 8.0 kOmega.",
        "Durable, negligible capacity fading after 1000 cycles at room temperature.",
        "The material system exhibits large open voltage (3.0 V) as shown in Fig. 2."
    ]
}