DIELECTRIC MATERIALS FOR CAPACITORS FOR ULTRALOW TEMPERATURES

THE PROPOSED WORK REGARDS THE USE OF CLATHRATE HYDRATES AS DIELECTRICS IN HIGH ENERGY CAPACITORS THAT WOULD OPERATE RELIABLY TO TEMPERATURES BELOW -100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. CLATHRATE HYDRATES ARE HIGHLY STRUCTURED COMPLEXES OF WATER AS HOST AND ORGANIC OR INORGANIC GUEST MOLECULES. THEIR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES ARE FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE AND COMPOSITION. PHASE I RESEARCH SEEKS TO DEMONSTRATE CLATHRATES WITH THE LOW CONDUCTIVITY OF ICE, BUT WITH LARGE ADVANTAGES OVER ICE ITSELF. THESE ADVANTAGES INCLUDE TUNABLE DIELECTRIC RELAXATION TIMES FOR HIGH FREQUENCY APPLICATIONS, EXTENDED OPERATING TEMPERATURE RANGE, AND POSSIBLY MINIMIZED VOLUME CHANGE DURING FREEZE/THAW CYCLES. THE CLATHRATE-BASED CAPACITORS WOULD ALSO BE PREFERABLE OVERCONVENTIONAL CAPACITORS BECAUSE THEY ARE EASY TO SCALE-UP, PRESERVE CAPACITY AT LOW TEMPERATURE, AND ARE INDEPENDENT OFPOLARITY. THE CONFIGURATION CHOSEN FOR PHASE I IS OF PLANE PARALLEL PLATES. PHASE II WOULD DEMONSTRATE PROTOTYPES WITHDIFFERENT GEOMETRY AND OPTIMIZED MATERIAL.