Collaborative Research: Manufacturing Deformable Energy Storage Devices from Carbon Nanotube Macro-Films

该研究项目旨在研究制造基于碳纳米管宏膜的可变形超级电容器的新概念，这种多功能储能设备重量轻，可变形，同时具有非常高的能量和功率密度。对可控取向的自支撑碳纳米管宏膜的制备和二维碳纳米管宏膜的机电电化学耦合的基本原理进行了初步的了解。将采用机械弯曲工艺来制造弯曲的碳纳米管宏观膜作为超级电容器电极，其将具有极端的可变形性和高的电子传导性，这可以允许消除超级电容器中的集电器，因此大大降低电池重量并因此提高能量密度。将利用弯曲的碳纳米管宏膜组装可变形超级电容器，并对其进行深入研究。实验和理论研究相结合的方法将使人们能够更好地理解可变形碳纳米管超级电容器的制造-结构-性能-功能，并对材料加工工程原理有一个全面的了解。该项目将为在柔性衬底上设计和制造碳纳米管宏膜提供新的方法和技术，并在具有极高变形能力的超级电容器的最先进加工和制造方面取得突破。在两个研究机构（特拉华州和亚利桑那州立大学）的综合，互动和协作的研究和教育计划。将建立。参与拟议研究的研究生和本科生将通过多学科和多大学环境进行培训。研究成果将用于开发/提高本科和研究生课程。创新？可伸缩图书馆？将建立接触到K-16学生。

This research project aims at investigating a new concept of manufacturing carbon nanotube macro-film-based deformable supercapacitors, versatile energy storage devices that are light-weight, deformable and at the same time exhibit very high energy and power density. Fundamentals on fabrication of the free-standing carbon nanotube macro-films with controllable alignment and on mechanical-electrical-electrochemical coupling of the two-dimensional carbon nanotube macro-films are expectedly understood. Mechanical buckling processes will be employed to make buckled carbon nanotube macro-films as supercapacitor electrodes which will have extreme deformability and high electronic conductivity that may allow the elimination of current collectors in a supercapacitor, therefore greatly reducing the cell weight and hence improving the energy density. The buckled carbon nanotube macro-films will be utilized to assemble deformable supercapacitors which will be thoroughly investigated. The combined approach of experimental and theoretical studies will enable an improved understanding of the manufacturing-structure-property-function of the deformable carbon nanotube supercapacitors and a general understanding of principles of materials processing engineering. The proposed project will provide a new methodology and technique for the design and fabrication of carbon nanotube macro-film on compliant substrates, as well as lead to breakthroughs in state-of-the-art processing and fabrication of supercapacitor with extremely high deformability. Integrated, interactive and collaborative research and educational programs in two research institutions (Univ. Delaware and Arizona State Univ.) will be established. The graduate and undergraduate students involved in the proposed research will be trained through a multidisciplinary and multi-university environment. The research achievement will be used to develop/enhance both undergraduate and graduate courses. An innovative ?Stretchable Library? will be established to reach out to K-16 students.