Advanced electrochemical capacitors with engineered pseudocapacitive electrodes and novel polymer electrolytes

电化学电容器（EC），又称超级电容器或超级电容器，是一种在可再生能源领域具有重要应用的电化学储能系统。ECs具有比传统电池更高的功率密度、更快的充放电速率、更长的循环寿命和比传统电容器更高的能量密度，可以填补这些技术之间的性能差距。

An electrochemical Capacitor (EC), also known as supercapacitor or ultracapacitor, is an electrochemical energy storage system with important applications in renewable energies. Possessing higher power density, faster charge/discharge rate, and longer cycle life than conventional batteries and higher energy density than conventional capacitors, ECs can fill the performance gap between these technologies. We have identified the current pressing needs for EC energy storage in three areas: a) lack of high energy density and high power density electrode materials; b) lack of high performance, non-corrosive, benign and environmental friendly electrolytes; and c) lack of electrolytes that allow minimal packaging weight and volume and enable flexible form factors. The scope of the proposed Discovery Grant is to explore novel material systems for high power and high energy EC devices to address these concerns. These new material systems will be comprised of novel electrode materials chemically modified for pseudocapacitance and of solid polymer electrolytes for high performance, high power and energy density, and easy processing. The short-term objectives are a) to develop electrodes with both double layer and pseudocapacitance, and b) to develop well-matched solid polymer electrolytes. The long-term goals are to demonstrate a material system that is electrochemically comparable to that of RuO2 (the current "gold standard"), and to demonstrate high performance multi-cell EC devices with a flexible form factor which meet the power and energy target specifications of realistic industrial applications. Along the way, we will develop a systematic understanding of the mechanisms of the interaction between the studied materials. The knowledge gained from the proposed program will not only be valuable for the development of ECs in general, but will also be applicable to other electrochemical energy storage systems (such as fuel cells and batteries).