SBIR Phase I: Microporous Carbons with Aligned Pores for Supercapacitors

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目建议开发一种创新的低成本材料合成路线，用于形成具有精细可控和均匀的微结构、可调的孔径、高比表面积以及最重要的是用于快速离子传输的定向微孔的多孔碳。传统的超级电容器电极是由性质不一致的活性碳和随机弯曲的气孔制成的，这些气孔抑制了离子在材料中的流动。该材料将使超级电容器具有更高的功率密度和更快的充放电速率，以满足智能电网、电动汽车、节能工业设备和个人电子产品等应用的需要。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是在大幅提高超级电容器性能的同时降低了成本。这些改进预计将显著增加行业对超级电容器技术的采用。超级电容器在交通运输和工业设备中的使用大大减少了能源消耗和温室气体排放。它们在电网中的应用使风力涡轮机和海洋涡轮机的经济使用成为可能。消除多孔炭形成中的活化步骤将避免CO和CO2的排放，从而提高电极制造过程的环境友好性。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes the development of an innovative low-cost material synthesis route for the formation of porous carbons with finely controlled and uniform microstructure, tunable pore size, high surface area, and, most importantly, aligned micropores for rapid ion transport. Conventional supercapacitor electrodes are made of activated carbons with inconsistent properties and random tortuous pores that inhibit the flow of ions in the material. The proposed material will allow much higher power density and faster charge and discharge rates in supercapacitors, as needed by applications in smart electric grids, electric vehicles, energy-efficient industrial equipment and personal electronics.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the dramatic enhancement in the performance with simultaneous reduction in cost of supercapacitors. Such improvements are expected to significantly increase the adoption of the supercapacitor technology by industry. The use of supercapacitors in transportation and industrial equipment leads to the dramatic reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Their applications in electrical grids enable the economic use of wind and ocean turbines. The elimination of the activation step in the porous carbon formation will avoid CO and CO2 emissions, thus improving the environmental friendliness of electrode manufacturing processes.