Flexible and shape-conformal rope-shape supercapacitors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10083799-B2
Application number	US-201715398416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a rope-shaped supercapacitor having a first and second conductive porous electrode in a rod shape, where the pores are filled with an electrolyte and an electrode active material. The pores of the first electrode may contain activated carbon or isolated graphene sheets. A porous separator encases the first electrode to form a separator-protected electrode. The two electrodes are combined to form a braid or twist yarn, and a protective sheath wrapps around or encases the braid or twist yarn.

First claim

We claim:

1. A rope-shaped supercapacitor comprising:
(a) a first electrode comprising a first electrically conductive porous rod having pores and a first mixture of a first electrode active material and a first electrolyte, wherein said first mixture resides in said pores of said first electrically conductive porous rod;
(b) a porous separator wrapping around or encasing said first electrode to form a separator-protected first electrode;
(c) a second electrode comprising a second electrically conductive porous rod having pores and a second mixture of a second electrode active material and a second electrolyte, wherein said second mixture resides in said pores of said second electrically conductive porous rod; wherein said separator-protected first electrode and said second electrode are combined or interlaced together to form a braid or a yarn; and
(d) a protective casing or sheath wrapping around or encasing said braid or yarn;
wherein said first and/or said second electrode active material contains multiple particles of a carbon material and/or multiple graphene sheets, wherein said multiple graphene sheets contain single-layer graphene or few-layer graphene each having from 1 to 10 graphene planes and said multiple particles of carbon material or graphene sheets have a specific surface area no less than 500 m 2 /g when measured in a dried state.

2. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said first electrodes and/or a plurality of said second electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is an anode and at least one is a cathode.

3. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , further comprising a porous separator wrapping around or encasing said second electrode to form a separator-protected second electrode.

4. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 3 , further comprising a third electrolyte disposed between said braid or yarn and said protective casing or sheath.

5. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein the first or the second electrode active material contains particles of activated carbon or isolated graphene sheets having a length or width smaller than 1 μm to impregnate into the pores of the first or the second electrode, wherein said graphene sheets are selected from the group consisting of pristine graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, fluorinated graphene, nitrogenated or nitrogen-doped graphene, hydrogenated or hydrogen-doped graphene, boron-doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, and combinations thereof.

6. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 5 , wherein said first or second electrode further contains a redox pair partner material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, a conducting polymer, an organic material, a non-graphene carbon material, an inorganic material, or a combination thereof, wherein said partner material, in combination with graphene or activated carbon, forms a redox pair for pseudo-capacitance.

7. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 6 , wherein said metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of RuO 2 , IrO 2 , NiO, MnO 2 , VO 2 , V 2 O 5 , V 3 O 8 , TiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , CO 2 O 3 , CO 3 O 4 , PbO 2 , Ag 2 O or combinations thereof.

8. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 6 , wherein said inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of a metal carbide, metal nitride, metal boride, metal dichalcogenide or combinations thereof.

9. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 6 , wherein said metal oxide or inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of an oxide, dichalcogenide, trichalcogenide, sulfide, selenide, or telluride of an element selected from the group consisting of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, vanadium, chromium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or combinations thereof in a nanowire, nano-disc, nano-ribbon, or nano platelet form.

10. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 6 , wherein said inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of nano discs, nano platelets, nano-coating, or nano sheets of an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of bismuth selenide, bismuth telluride, transition metal dichalcogenide, transition metal trichalcogenide, sulfide of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or a transition metal, selenide of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or a transition metal, telluride of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or a transition metal, boron nitride, or combinations thereof; wherein said nano discs, nano platelets, nano-coating, or nano sheets have a thickness less than 100 nm.

11. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein first or second electrode contains one of the following materials as the only electrode active material in said first or second electrode: (a) graphene sheets alone; (b) graphene sheets mixed with a porous carbon material; (c) graphene sheets mixed with a partner material that forms a redox pair with said graphene sheets to develop pseudo-capacitance; or (d) graphene sheets and a porous carbon material mixed with a partner material that forms a redox pair with said graphene sheets or said porous carbon material to develop pseudo-capacitance, and wherein there is no other electrode active material in said first or second electrode.

12. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein said rope-shaped supercapacitor has a first end and a second end and said first electrode contains a first terminal connector comprising at least one particle selected from the group consisting of metallic wire, conductive carbon/graphite fiber, or conductive polymer fiber wherein said particle is embedded in, connected to, or integral with said first electrode.

13. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 12 , wherein said at least one particle runs approximately from said first end to said second end.

14. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein said first or second electrically conductive porous rod contains a porous foam selected from the group consisting of a metal foam, metal web, metal fiber mat, metal nanowire mat, conductive polymer fiber mat, conductive polymer foam, conductive polymer-coated fiber foam, carbon foam, graphite foam, carbon aerogel, carbon xerogel, graphene aerogel, graphene foam, graphene oxide foam, reduced graphene oxide foam, carbon fiber foam, graphite fiber foam, exfoliated graphite foam, and combinations thereof.

15. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 14 , wherein said porous foam has a cross-section that is circular, elliptic, rectangular, square, hexagonal, hollow, or irregular in shape.

16. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein said supercapacitor has a rope shape having a length/thickness or length/diameter aspect ratio greater than 10.

17. The rope-shaped supercapacitor of claim 1 , wherein said first or second electrode active material contains nano discs, nano platelets, nano-coating, or nano sheets of an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of bismuth selenide, bismuth telluride, transition metal dichalcogenide, transition metal trichalcogenide, sulfide of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or a transition metal, selenide of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, cobalt, manganese, iron, nickel or a transition metal, telluride of niobium, zirconium, molybdenum

Assignees

• Nanotek Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Zhamu Aruna
• Jang Bor Z

Classifications

• H01G11/50

  specially adapted for lithium-ion capacitors, e.g. for lithium-doping or for intercalation · CPC title

• H01G11/52

  Separators · CPC title

• H01G11/36

  Nanostructures, e.g. nanofibres, nanotubes or fullerenes · CPC title

• H01G11/42

  Powders or particles, e.g. composition thereof · CPC title

• H01G11/34

  characterised by carbonisation or activation of carbon · CPC title