SBIR Phase I: Double-Layer Ultracapacitors Incorporating Microtextured Metal Electrodes

* 摘要 9661179约翰逊 这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将探索使用微织构金属电极作为电解超级电容器基础的可行性。为了在多次循环后实现负载均衡和持续功能，超级电容器有望成为许多先进电力系统的组成部分，特别是对于混合动力汽车和远程操作电池系统。虽然比能量低于电池，但超级电容器可能具有高比功率，从而能够与功率较低但能量容量较高的电池、飞轮或燃料电池协同作用。目前的超级电容器设计使用高度多孔的碳结构（活性、泡沫或气凝胶）作为高表面积电极。高电容是通过从电解质中提取的双层极性分子实现的，该分子沿着碳涂层电极的回旋表面。我们提出了基于离子束溅射微织构金属电极的超级电容器。显微织构金属应该通过增加导电性和润湿性来提高性能，同时保持大的表面积和易于制造。这种表面先前已经证明了二次电子发射、电池电极性能和光学性质的显著变化，所有这些都与增加的表面积有关。超级电容器电极的类似增强有望使它们最终接近其理论性能极限。 超级电容器与功率相对较低但能量较高的电源相结合，是混合电源的理想组件。在当前超级电容器技术在电动汽车上的典型应用中，美国国家可再生能源实验室的分析预测，电池峰值功率需求将减少三倍或更多，车辆续航里程将增加50%，循环寿命将增加一倍。类似的，甚至更大的好处，通信设备，计算机和电机驱动的系统可以预期从微织构金属电极。***

*** ABSTRACT 9661179 Johnson This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will explore the feasibility of using microtextured metal electrodes as the basis of electrolytic ultracapacitors. For load leveling and sustained function after many cycles, ultracapacitors promise to become an integral part of many advanced power systems, particularly for hybrid electric vehicles and remotely operated battery systems. Although lower in specific energy than batteries, ultracapacitors potentially have a high specific power, enabling a synergy with lower power, but higher energy capacity, batteries, flywheels, or fuel cells. Present ultracapacitor designs use a highly porous structure of carbon (activated, foamed, or aerogel) as a high surface area electrode. High capacitance is achieved by the double-layer of polar molecules extracted from the electrolyte, which follows the convoluted surface of the carbon-coated electrodes. We propose ultracapacitors based on microtextured metal electrodes made by ion beam sputtering. Microtextured metals should improve performance through increased conductivity and wettability, while maintaining large surface area and ease of manufacture. Such surfaces have previously demonstrated remarkable changes in secondary electron emission, battery electrode performance, and optical properties, all related to increased surface area. Similar enhancements of ultracapacitor electrodes promise to enable them to finally approach their theoretical performance limits. Ultracapacitors are, in combination with relatively lower power but high energy sources, ideal components of hybrid power supplies. In typical applications of current ultracapacitor technology to electrical vehicles, analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts a reduction in peak battery power demanded by a factor of three or more, an increase in vehicle range of 50%, and a doubling of cycle life. Similar, or even greater, benefits to communication devices, computers, and motor-driv en systems could be expected from microtextured metal electrodes. ***