Energy storage devices having enhanced specific energy and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9685278-B2
Application number	US-201615150226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

Ultracapacitor electrodes having an enhanced electrolyte-accessible surface area are provided. Such electrodes can include a porous substrate having a solution side and a collector side, the collector side operable to couple to a current collector and the solution side positioned to interact with an electrolytic solution when in use. The electrode can also include a conductive coating formed on the solution side of the porous substrate. The coating can have a first side positioned to interact with an electrolytic solution when in use and a second side opposite the first side. The coating can have discontinuous regions that allow access of an electrolyte solution to the second side during use to enhance electrolyte-accessible surface area of the conductive coating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making an ultracapacitor electrode having an enhanced electrolyte-accessible electrically conductive surface area, comprising:
depositing a conductive coating onto a substrate;
forming at least one opening in the conductive coating; and
selectively etching the substrate through the at least one opening to provide electrolyte accessibility to a side of the conductive coating substantially oriented toward the substrate wherein the substrate is a porous material at the time that the conductive coating is deposited thereon.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing a secondary conductive coating on the etched substrate;
forming at least one secondary opening in the secondary conductive coating; and
selectively etching the etched substrate through the at least one secondary opening to provide electrolyte accessibility to a side of the secondary conductive coating substantially oriented toward the etched substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising repeatedly:
depositing a subsequent conductive coating on the etched substrate;
forming at least one subsequent opening in the subsequent conductive coating; and
selectively etching the etched substrate through the at least one subsequent opening until substantially all of the substrate is replaced with the subsequent conductive coating.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively etching the substrate through the at least one opening further comprises removing a sufficient portion of the substrate such that at least a portion of the conductive coating is free-standing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a member selected from the group consisting of: a semiconductor, a metal, carbon, graphene, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is silicon.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising doping the silicon.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the conductive coating further comprises depositing a material selected from the group consisting of: metals, metal nitrides, metal silicides, metal carbides, metal borides, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the conductive coating further comprises depositing a material selected from the group consisting of: titanium nitride, tungsten nitride, tantalum nitride, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selective etch is a dry etch.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selective etch is a wet etch.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is silicon, the conductive coating is titanium nitride, and the etch is XeF2 or KOH.

13. A method of making an ultracapacitor electrode having an enhanced electrolyte-accessible electrically conductive surface area, comprising:
depositing a conductive coating onto a substrate;
forming at least one opening in the conductive coating; and

selectively etching the substrate through the at least one opening to provide electrolyte accessibility to a side of the conductive coating substantially oriented toward the substrate, wherein forming the at least one opening in the conductive coating further comprises depositing the conductive coating onto the porous substrate as a discontinuous coating.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the conductive coating on the substrate comprises:
coating a reactive material onto the substrate; and
reacting the reactive material with the substrate to form a conductive alloy.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein reacting the reactive material with the substrate further comprises:
the reactive material and the substrate to form the conductive coating at an interface between the reactive material and the substrate; and
removing the reactive material to expose the conductive coating.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
depositing a secondary conductive coating on the etched substrate;
forming at least one secondary opening in the secondary conductive coating; and
selectively etching the etched substrate through the at least one secondary opening to provide electrolyte accessibility to a side of the secondary conductive coating substantially oriented toward the etched substrate.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising repeatedly:
depositing a subsequent conductive coating on the etched substrate;
forming at least one subsequent opening in the subsequent conductive coating; and
selectively etching the etched substrate through the at least one subsequent opening until substantially all of the substrate is replaced with the subsequent conductive coating.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively etching the substrate through the at least one opening further comprises removing a sufficient portion of the substrate such that at least a portion of the conductive coating is free-standing.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein depositing the conductive coating further comprises depositing a material selected from the group consisting of: metals, metal nitrides, metal silicides, metal carbides, metal borides, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Holzwarth Charles W
• Pint Cary L
• Graf Michael C
• Moon Bum Ki

Classifications

• H01G11/12

  Stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors · CPC title

• H01G11/28

  arranged or disposed on a current collector; Layers or phases between electrodes and current collectors, e.g. adhesives · CPC title

• H01G11/86 Primary

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

• H01G11/32

  Carbon-based · CPC title

• H01G11/26

  characterised by their structure, e.g. multi-layered, porosity or surface features · CPC title