Rolls-Royce has signed a collaboration agreement with UK-based technology start-up Superdielectrics to explore the potential of using hydrophilic polymers to create high energy storage technology. The agreement will see Rolls-Royce, Superdielectrics and researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Surrey, to help create a potentially significant breakthrough in energy storage properties.

Dr. Dave Smith, director of Central Technology, Rolls-Royce, said: “We believe that electrification will play an increasingly important role in many of our markets over the coming years and by working with partners on potential new technologies for energy storage we can ensure that Rolls-Royce is well positioned to take advantage of new developments.”

Hydrophilic materials, similar to those originally designed for soft contact lenses, might help increase the electricity storage capabilities of capacitors, which store electricity by creating electrostatic fields. These potentially exciting dielectric polymers may provide an opportunity to create capacitors that are able to rival – and even exceed – the storage capacity of traditional rechargeable batteries. The resulting supercapacitors may also be able to charge much faster than existing lithium-ion batteries.

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