SBIR Phase I: Nanomaterials for Energy Storage

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is focused on developing an efficient and cost-effective electrochemical capacitor for use in Next-Generation Vehicles (NGV's). This new capacitor will be designed to significantly advance the state of the art in this area, and to fully meet the specifications identified for NGV applications. No current technology meets those specifications. The key innovation here is the development of new electrode materials based on recently identified composites. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach by preparing candidate electrode materials, fabricating laboratory-scale capacitors, and demonstrating that the prototype capacitors already meet or have the clear potential to meet the target specifications. The capacitors will be evaluated in terms of: (1) specific capacitance (farads/g); (2) specific energy (Whr/kg); (3) equivalent series resistance; (4) specific power (W/kg); (5) energy density (Whr/L); (6) leakage current; (7) cycle lifetime; (8) ease of manufacturing; and (9) cost. Successful development of this enabling technology will represent an important advance in the state of the art and will provide a key innovation for the commercial development of next-generation vehicles. Other important potential commercial applications include consumer electronics, communications, and computer technology.