Electrochemical characterization tools for high power energy storage systems

电化学超级电容器是一种独特的电化学储能系统，适用于从脉冲通信到手持工具再到电动和混合动力汽车等高功率应用。在这个能源创新的时代，超级电容器新材料体系的研究已经变得非常重要。这项研究工具和仪器(RTI)基金旨在支持高功率电化学超级电容器材料体系的开发和表征。所需的工具不仅对能源研究中的新材料至关重要，而且对电化学、可靠性研究和材料表面形态的许多其他研究项目也具有广泛的适用性。建议的研究工具包括电化学和光学表征两部分。电化学表征工具包括恒电位仪、用于直流和交流表征的电化学阻抗谱和电流增强器、小型环境室和单人手套箱，而光学表征工具是非接触式光学干涉仪。此外，直流和交流电化学测试设备用于研究材料的能量和功率响应。环境试验室帮助在不同的温度和湿度下测试材料，通常是在额外艰苦的条件下。手套箱用于处理不适合空气中的材料，如有机溶剂。光学轮廓仪是光学表征和量化材料表面粗糙度、台阶高度、临界尺寸和其他形貌特征的强大工具，具有优异的纳米级精度和准确度。从事电化学能量存储工作的研究生和本科生将广泛使用这两种工具，通常是日常使用。此外，材料科学与工程系和多伦多大学的其他研究人员和学生也可以使用这些设备。

Electrochemical ultracapacitor is a unique electrochemical energy storage system for high power applications from pulse communication to hand-held tools to electrical and hybrid vehicles. Research on novel material system for ultracapacitor has become time-critical in this era of energy innovation.  This Research Tools and Instrument (RTI) grant is designed to enable the development and characterization of material systems for high-power electrochemical ultracapacitors. The tools requested are not only essential to the new materials in energy research, but also of wide applicability to many other research projects in electrochemical, reliability studies, and surface morphology of materials. The proposed research tools contain two parts: electrochemical and optical characterization.  The tools for electrochemical characterization include a potentiostat, an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and a current booster for dc and ac characterization, a small environmental chamber and a one-person glove box, while the optical characterization tool is a non-contact, optical interferometer.  The dc and ac electrochemical testing equipment are used to study material energy and power responses. The environmental chamber aids for testing material at different temperature and humidity, often at extra strenuous conditions.  The glove box is used for handling materials that are not suitable in air, such as organic solvent.  The optical profilometer is powerful tool for optically characterizing and quantifying surface roughness, step heights, critical dimensions, and other topographical features of a material with excellent nano meter precision and accuracy. Both types of tools will be used extensively, often on a daily basis, by the graduate and undergraduate students who work on electrochemical energy storage.  The equipment will be accessible to other researchers and students at the department of Materials Science and Engineering and at the University of Toronto.