Improved Electrochemical Capacitor Performance through Modeling, Chemical Modification and Electrode Design

电化学电容器（EC）是用于短时间高强度功率突发（例如安全气囊展开）的储能系统，填补了电池和电容器之间的关键性能差距。该研究计划利用我们在电化学，孔隙，碳和锰氧化物方面的专业知识：了解减缓EC响应和浪费能量的电荷传输机制;确定阻碍电荷存储的关键反应;并开发保持高功率但不需要频繁充电的材料。该计划的成功将导致新的EC诊断/模型，更好的设计材料和从救生起搏器到电动汽车等消费设备的性能改善。 主题1探讨了电荷通过电极的运动如何与EC性能（能量，功率，效率）相关。在来自真实的电极的数据的指导下，我们使用计算机模拟和硬件电路来帮助我们可视化系统中的电荷运动，这在真实的电极中是不可能的。这使我们能够设计更高功率的材料并解释重要的EC行为。然后将新设计转化为具有改进的结构和性能的真实的电极，例如主题3中的那些。主题2着重于识别寄生的化学和物理过程，可以窃取电荷或损坏EC。对于许多常见和新兴的EC材料（碳，金属氧化物，聚合物），对这些过程的研究尚处于起步阶段，部分原因是缺乏有效的诊断方法。利用我们近二十年来在开发急需的诊断和识别关键EC反应方面的专业知识，我们减轻了这些寄生反应，从而减少了能源浪费，延长了保质期，减少了EC更换。主题3解决了广泛使用EC的一个关键障碍;尽管它们具有出色的功率性能，但它们的能量很低，需要频繁充电。我们的新型电极架构将高能材料定位在高功率电极的选定部分，保留了两者的优点。计算机建模将模拟这些材料的最佳定位。化学和电化学合成将把这些结构转化为用于EC实施的真实的电极。这些创新电极设计的成功将是变革性的，可以对EC功率和能量进行可调控制;调整EC以满足精确的设备要求意味着减少材料浪费（提高环境可持续性），降低消费设备的体积/重量以及更广泛的潜在应用。 作为许多EC材料的世界十大生产国，加拿大将受益于EC性能的改善，从而在商业设备中更广泛地使用EC。该计划将为我们不断发展的能源部门提供急需的高技能人才，他们了解技术重要材料的基础科学，并拥有独特的技能组合，将EC材料的建模和实验室测试相结合。

Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are energy storage systems used for short high-intensity power bursts, e.g. airbag deployment, and fill a critical performance gap between batteries and capacitors. This research program capitalizes on our expertise in electrochemistry, pores, carbon and manganese oxide to: understand charge transport mechanisms that slow EC response and waste energy; identify key reactions that hinder charge storage; and develop materials that maintain high power but need less frequent recharging. Success in this program will lead to new EC diagnostics/models, better-designed materials and improved performance in consumer devices ranging from life-saving pacemakers to electric vehicles. Theme 1 explores how charge movement through electrodes relates to EC performance (energy, power, efficiency). Guided by data from real electrodes, we use computer simulation and hardware circuits to help us visualize charge movement in a system, which is not possible in a real electrode. This allows us to design higher-power materials and explain important EC behaviours. The new designs are then translated into real electrodes with improved structure and performance, such as those in Theme 3. Theme 2 focuses on identifying parasitic chemical and physical processes that can steal charge or damage an EC. For many common and emerging EC materials (carbon, metal oxides, polymers) the research into these processes is in its infancy, in part due to a lack of effective diagnostics. Using our almost two decades of expertise in developing much-needed diagnostics and identifying key EC reactions, we mitigate these parasitic reactions, resulting in less energy-waste, longer shelf-life and fewer EC replacements. Theme 3 addresses a key barrier to widespread EC use; despite their excellent power performance, their energy is low, necessitating frequent recharging. Our novel electrode architectures position high energy materials on selected portions of high-power electrodes, preserving the benefits of both. Computer modelling will model optimal positioning for these materials. Chemical and electrochemical synthesis will translate these architectures into real electrodes for EC implementation. The success of these innovative electrode designs will be transformative, giving tunable control over EC power and energy; tuning an EC to match the precise device requirements means less waste of materials (improved environmental sustainability), lower volume/weight in consumer devices and a wider range of potential applications. As a top 10 world producer of many EC materials, Canada will benefit from improved EC performance leading to a broader use of ECs in commercial devices. This program will provide our growing energy sector with access to much needed highly skilled personnel who understand the fundamental science of technologically important materials and who have a unique skill-set that combines both modelling and in-lab testing of EC materials.