Supercapacitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016268059-A1
Application number	US-201615159401-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 10, 2014
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A supercapacitor or electrochemical capacitor includes spaced apart electrodes which are separated from each other by a separator made of an electrically insulating material. Each electrode is formed of carbonaceous material and capable of being impregnated with a liquid electrolyte. Metal current collectors are provided on the sides of the electrodes opposite from the separator. The electrodes have holes or elongated orifices extending through the electrodes to reduce ionic impedance in order to produce faster charging and discharging of the device.

First claim

I claim:

1 . An electrochemical capacitor comprising:
spaced apart electrodes separated by a separator made of a porous electrically insulating material, each of said electrodes formed of carbonaceous material and capable of being impregnated with a liquid electrolyte; and a pair of metal current collectors on the sides of said electrodes opposite from said separator, said electrodes having a plurality of spaced apart holes or elongated orifices extending through the carbonaceous material between said metal current collector and said separator, wherein the holes or elongated orifices are spaced apart no more than about 25.4 microns to create a facilitated pathway for travel of the electrolytic ions during charging and discharging of the capacitor thereby significantly increasing the operational frequency of the capacitor.

2 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein said holes or said elongated orifices are evenly spaced from each other in a grid pattern.

3 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein said holes have a length/width or diameter of about 10 nm to 100 microns, and said elongated orifices have a width of about 10 nm to about 100 microns.

4 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the size of the holes or elongated orifices and spacing are selected so as to remove no more than about 50% of the carbonaceous material of the electrodes.

5 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the spacing of the holes or elongated orifices is less than the thickness of the electrodes.

6 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 wherein the length/width or diameter of the holes or the width of the elongated orifices are larger than the interparticle pore size in the electrode material.

7 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the holes or elongated orifices do not extend through the current collector.

8 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the holes or elongated orifices have a pitch in excess of about 1000 lines per inch.

9 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the capacitor is configured to operate at a frequency in excess of about 1 Hz.

10 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of nanotubes, nanoparticles, and/or nanowires intermixed with said carbonaceous material forming the electrodes.

11 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein said carbonaceous material comprises: graphene, carbon nanotubes, porous carbon, activated carbon, or any combination thereof.

12 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein said carbonaceous material further comprises: a binder, conductivity enhancing material, a pseudo-capacitive material, or any combination thereof.

13 . The capacitor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrodes are approximately 1-10 microns thick.

14 . A method of manufacturing an electrochemical capacitor comprising the steps of:
creating at least two electrodes formed of carbonaceous material and capable of being impregnated with a liquid electrolyte, forming a plurality of holes or elongated orifices through said carbonaceous material of said electrodes, wherein the holes or elongated orifices are spaced apart no more than about 25.4 microns to create a facilitated pathway for travel of the electrolytic ions through the electrode thickness during charging and discharging of the capacitor thereby significantly increasing the operational frequency of the capacitor, positioning a first side of each electrode on opposite sides of a separator constructed of a porous electrically insulating material, and attaching an electrically conductive current collector on a second side of each of the electrodes.

15 . The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein said forming step comprises lasing, anisotropic etching, reactive ion etching, or ion milling said holes or elongated orifices through said electrodes.

16 . The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the holes or elongated orifices are patterned using photolithography.

17 . The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the holes or elongated orifices are patterned using a mesh placed on top of the carbonaceous material during their forming process.

18 . The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the at least two electrodes are created by depositing carbonaceous material on a mesh and the mesh is also used as a template for forming the holes or elongated orifices and/or for patterning the deposition of the carbonaceous material onto the current collectors.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein (i) the mesh is made of an insulating material and the forms the separator in the completed electrochemical capacitor, or (ii) the mesh is made of a conducting material and forms a current collector in the completed electrochemical capacitor.

20 . A method of manufacturing an electrochemical capacitor comprising:
providing at least two electrodes formed of carbonaceous material and capable of being impregnated with a liquid electrolyte, and forming a plurality of holes or elongated orifices through said carbonaceous material of said electrodes, wherein the holes or elongated orifices are spaced apart no more than about 25.4 microns to create a facilitated pathway for travel of the electrolytic ions during charging and discharging of the capacitor thereby significantly increasing the operational frequency of the capacitor.

Assignees

• U S Army Res Laboratory Attn: Rdrl-Loc-I

Inventors

• Ervin Matthew H

Classifications

• H01G11/24 Primary

  characterised by structural features of the materials making up or comprised in the electrodes, e.g. form, surface area or porosity; characterised by the structural features of powders or particles used therefor · CPC title

• H01G11/52

  Separators · CPC title

• Y02E60/13

  Energy storage using capacitors · CPC title

• H01G11/32

  Carbon-based · CPC title

• H01G11/66

  Current collectors · CPC title