Reseachers use Lightscribe technology, found in commercial grade CD and DVD burners, to create graphene micro-supercapacitors. The technology is developed by the University of Los Angeles and the end results are devices that can charge and discharge a hundred to a thousand times faster than standard batteries. These micro-supercapacitors, made from a one-atom–thick layer of graphitic carbon, can be easily manufactured and readily integrated into small devices such as next-generation pacemakers.
To make it work they glued a plastic layer on a DVD and then coated it with a layer of graphite oxide. By using Lightscribe they were able to use the laser of the DVD burner to create a so-called interdigitated pattern. Because Lightscribe is so precise all lines where seperated and didn't touch eachother which would short-cicrcuit the supercapacitor. This means that for a relative low price and by using existing technology it's possible to create a high-tech product.
The new micro-supercapacitors are highly bendable and twistable, making them potentially useful as energy-storage devices in flexible electronics like roll-up displays and TVs, e-paper, and even wearable electronics. A video with a more in-depth explanation can be found here.
