"Supercapacitors are presently combined with standard Li-Ion batteries to power electric cars, with a substantial weight reduction and increase in performance," he said. "In the future, it is hoped the supercapacitor will be developed to store more energy than a Li-Ion battery while retaining the ability to release its energy up to 10 times faster - meaning the car could be entirely powered by the supercapacitors in its body panels.

"After one full charge this car should be able to run up to 500km - similar to a petrol-powered car and more than double the current limit of an electric car," said Liu. He said the technology would also potentially be used for rapid charges of other battery-powered devices. "For example, by putting the film on the back of a smart phone to charge it extremely quickly," he said. The discovery may be a game-changer for the automotive industry, with significant impacts on financial, as well as environmental, factors, researchers said.

The research was published in the Journal of Power Sources and the Nanotechnology journal.

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