Durian has been popularly labeled as “the king of fruits” in Southeast Asia because of its combination of flavorful pulp and pungent smell. Opinions about its smell are sharply divided between “very aromatic” from those who love it and “very putrid” from those who hate it. For scientists doing research in energy storage, any kinds of fruit that have the potential to become materials for batteries or capacitors are “good” regardless of taste or smell. Recently, a research team at the University of Sydney in Australia has created electrode materials out of durian and jackfruit. These materials, in turn, could be used in building high-performance supercapacitors that can rapidly charge smartphones and tablets. ... more
