PFI: BIC- Building Innovation Capacity through Partnerships in Innovation in Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices

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This Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity project from SUNY at Binghamton focuses on energy storage in ultracapacitors and electrolytic capacitors for applications in renewable energy, transportation, and power electronics systems. There is an urgent need for storage devices that can store higher energy, cope with large surge currents, and have lifetimes of a million cycles or more. The research partnership will identify and develop innovative materials systems, optimize processes, and fabricate and test ultracapacitors to achieve these goals. This project will focus on two emerging technologies, innovative Li-ion (LIC) and hybrid ultracapacitors to fill the crucial energy-power performance gap for applications in electric transportation, and graphene electrolytic capacitors (GEC) for high impact power electronics in absorbing and supplying high current pulses. Tapping the potential of nanomaterials, simplified ultracapacitor designs and green process technologies are the innovative aspects of this partnership that seeks technology solutions to the energy storage and efficient energy utilization in energy products and in energy harvesting systems.The broader impacts of this research include significant benefits to society through more efficient and lower cost energy storage in a wide range of applications. The technologies promise long lifetimes, much lower life cycle costs, and much less environmental impact than batteries, Combining the expertise of a materials supplier and a commercial manufacturer of capacitors with Binghamton University, the partnerships will build innovation capacity, increase the viability and competitiveness of the New York State companies through new product development, and will educate the next generation of engineers and scientists who can contribute to this important area.Partners at the inception of the project are Binghamton University through the Center of Autonomous Solar Power with faculty and students from Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemistry, and Materials Science and Engineering. The primary small technology-based business partners include Primet Precision Materials (Ithaca, New York) and Custom Electronics Inc.(Oneonta, NY.) Primet is a manufacturer of nanomaterials using a proprietary low cost process for lithium ion batteries and other applications. Custom Electronics is a manufacturer of capacitor devices and electronic assemblies for industrial and military applications. Custom Electronics has also previously founded and spun-off Ioxus Inc. as an independent company, which is now the largest domestic manufacturer of ultracapacitors.