Scientists have developed a sunlight-powered supercapacitor, or photo-capacitor, that can both capture solar energy and store it on a single device.
Conventional solar systems use two separate components: solar panels to generate electricity; and batteries or supercapacitors to store it. This separation requires additional electronics to manage voltage and current differences, adding to cost, complexity, energy loss and device size.
Researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, have now integrated these two functions. Their photo-rechargeable supercapacitor converts sunlight into electricity and stores it directly, simplifying system design and improving efficiency.
The key material is a network of nickel-cobalt oxide nanowires grown on nickel foam through a hydrothermal process. The nanowires form a porous, highly conductive 3D structure that both absorbs sunlight and stores charge, allowing the same material to act as solar harvester and storage electrode.
Under illumination, the device showed a 54 per cent rise in capacitance (energy storage capacity). It also retained 85 per cent of performance after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles, indicating durability.
A prototype asymmetric device — using activated carbon as the counter-electrode — delivered about 1.2 volts output and remained stable across different light intensities, from indoor lighting to strong sunlight.
The material’s efficiency is linked to its electronic structure: nickel substitution narrows the band gap and improves charge transport, enabling faster storage of light-generated electrons. The technology could support self-charging power systems for wearables, sensors and remote devices, reducing reliance on conventional batteries.
AI-led climate resilience
The Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, (IITGN) has launched an AI resilience and command centre (ARC) to strengthen data-driven climate risk management and urban resilience in India.
Located at the IITGN Research Park, the centre is designed to integrate flood forecasting, mobility impacts and operational decision-making into a single AI-enabled platform. Its “rain-to-resilience” framework combines physical science models with artificial intelligence to assess flood risks in real time, run scenario simulations and support emergency planning.
The ARC deploys decision support tools developed by AIResQ ClimSols, an IITGN-incubated deep-tech firm. “These tools enable faster simulations, real-time flood prediction and ‘what-if’ analysis while maintaining scientific accuracy,” says a press release from the institution.
Developed through research at IITGN’s Machine Intelligence and Resilience (MIR) Lab, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between advanced analytics and on-ground urban governance. The focus is on translating climate and infrastructure risks into actionable insights that city authorities can use to prioritise resources and coordinate responses.
Researchers involved in the project emphasise water as a central urban challenge — both scarcity and flooding — affecting infrastructure, mobility and livelihoods. The ARC platform is intended to help cities anticipate such risks rather than respond after damage occurs.
By bringing together academia, government and technology partners, the centre seeks to convert research into deployable public-sector tools. Its broader goal is to support safer, climate-resilient urban development through data-backed planning and real-time decision support.
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Published on February 9, 2026
