Methods, devices and systems for activated carbon supercapacitors with macroporous electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019333712-A1
Application number	US-201916504005-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 5, 2019
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 31, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Energy storage devices comprising carbon-based electrodes and/or redox electrolytes are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the carbon-based electrodes comprise laser-scribed activated carbon comprising one or more micro-channels. In some embodiments, the redox electrolytes comprise a ferricyanide/ferrocyanide redox couple. Also described are processes, methods, protocols and the like for manufacturing carbon-based electrodes comprising micro-channels for use in high energy storage devices such as supercapacitors, and for manufacturing high energy storage devices comprising redox electrolytes.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a laser scribed activated carbon electrode, comprising:
(a) casting an activated carbon substrate on a current collector having a carbon-based coating, to form an activated carbon-based electrode; and (b) directing a laser beam towards the activated carbon-based electrode to scribe one or more channels in the activated carbon-based electrode to form the laser scribed activated carbon electrode.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam has a wavelength of from about 375 nanometers to about 10 micrometers.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam has a power of from about 0.01 W to about 100 W.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon substrate comprises activated carbon, activated charcoal, activated carbon cloth, activated carbon fiber, activated glassy carbon, activated carbon nanofoam, activated carbon aerogel, or any combination thereof.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the activated carbon substrate further comprises a binder.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the current collector comprises aluminum, nickel, copper, platinum, iron, steel, graphite, carbon cloth, or combinations thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more channels have a pore size of from about 50 nanometers to about 500 micrometers.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon-based coating comprises amorphous carbon.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon substrate is chemically activated, physically activated, or a combination thereof.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the activated carbon substrate comprises activated carbon, activated charcoal, activated carbon cloth, activated carbon fiber, activated glassy carbon, activated carbon nanofoam, activated carbon aerogel, or any combination thereof.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon substrate comprises carbon derived from one or more coconut shells.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the current collector is metallic.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the current collector comprises aluminum, nickel, copper, platinum, iron, steel, graphite, carbon cloth, or combinations thereof.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the current collector is non-metallic.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein casting the activated carbon substrate on the current collector is performed by a doctor blade method.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising drying the activated carbon-based electrode before directing the laser beam towards the activated carbon-based electrode.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the drying is performed for 12 hours under ambient conditions.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein directing the laser beam towards the activated carbon-based electrode forms macropores within the activated carbon-based electrode.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon-based electrode has a packing density of about 0.1 g/cm 3 to about 1.0 g/cm 3 .

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon-based electrode has an areal capacitance of about 50 mF/cm 2 to about 800 mF/cm 2 .

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Kaner Richard B
• Hwang Jee Youn
• Li Mengping
• El-Kady Maher F

Classifications

• H01G11/62

  characterised by the solute, e.g. salts, anions or cations therein · CPC title

• H01G11/02

  using combined reduction-oxidation reactions, e.g. redox arrangement or solion · CPC title

• Y02E60/13

  Energy storage using capacitors · CPC title

• H01G11/34 Primary

  characterised by carbonisation or activation of carbon · CPC title

• H01G11/86

  specially adapted for electrodes (carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34) · CPC title