When KwaZulu-Natal matric pupil Lawrence John van Staden's phone battery died, it only went to show that necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
Van Staden was researching a topic on his smartphone for his school science expo and had stumbled onto an article on energy storage devices when it ran out of power.
The experience was the catalyst for his home-made supercapacitor, which stores energy using static electricity.
The Grade 12 pupil at St Dominic's Academy in Newcastle used aluminium collector plates, which he cut from recycled packaging trays, titanium dioxide, his own home-made graphene as an active material and a solution of ionic salts for the electrolyte for his project, titled Green Nano Supercapacitors.
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Van Staden said his interest was fuelled by his passion for science.
His home-made supercapacitor - used in applications requiring many rapid charge/discharge cycles rather than long-term compact energy storage - constructed from environmentally friendly materials, has earned him a spot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in Los Angeles next week.
It is the largest pre-college scientific research event in the world.
"I have always enjoyed problem-solving and learning about modern advancements in technology. I was doing research on a topic for my school expo when I came across the idea of supercapacitors," said Van Staden.
"My phone dying added to my interest."
Last year Van Staden entered his invention in the annual Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, South Africa's only schools science fair, and won a Siemens engineering bursary worth R60,000 to study electrical or mechanical engineering at a South African university.
"The purpose of the project was to investigate if a home-made supercapacitor constructed from environmentally friendly materials could drive a motor load for a time interval greater than the charging time for a number of charge-discharge cycles," said Van Staden.
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"I chose this topic as I feel there are major advancements in ways to refine alternative energy but minor effort put into storing it.
"In the progression of this investigation I tested 33 home-made supercapacitors."
He said he was really looking forward to representing South Africa at the Intel Expo, and to have the opportunity to make new friends from other countries.
He said he would like to study electrical or electronic engineering.
Van Staden's mother, Pendie, who is also his physical science teacher, described him as a logical thinker who had good insight.
"I assisted him with the project but there was a lot he did himself. The child is judged during an interview so they have to sell their idea.
"Because Eskom is an energy- company I encourage the children at school to go for something energy-wise, alternative energy saving resources,"said Pendie.
She said the school had a big emphasis on science and took part in the expo every year.
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