High Voltage "Supercapacitors" Phase II

The need for environmentally clean sources of energy for vehicular propulsion is driving a worldwide effort to develop high energy density "supercapacitors". These electronic devices are expected to work in tandem with advanced batteries or fuel cells to provide burst power required for acceleration and hill climbing. In order to greatly increase the double layer capacitance of carbonaceous electrode materials supplied to us by a domestic manufacturer of "supercapacitors", we propose to substitute the usual organic electrolyte with a highly conductive room temperature molten salt electrolyte. Prototype laboratory capacitors and capacitors fabricated from coin cell hardware will be tested with respect to voltage window, double layer capacitance, rate capability, and cycle life. Technical Benefits: High voltage, high power density "supercapacitors" will be used in vehicular propulsion technologies in conjunction with batteries and fuel cells. Advanced "supercapacitors" are also required for advanced portable electronic devices such as radios, cellular phones, and notebook computers.