NOVEL, DUAL USE PSEUDOCAPACITORS CONTAINING MATERIALS PREPARED BY SOL-GEL TECHNIQUES

The U. S. Air Force requires capacitors with both high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities for bridge power applications. While aqueous RuO*x*-based capacitors, currently being developed for the Strategic Defense Initiative, have excellent burst power capability, they are extremely expensive. In this proposal we suggest exploring non-toxic, inexpensive metal oxides as new non-aqueous "supercapacitor" materials which are known to possess a high pseudocapacitance. During Phase I these materials will be synthesized and configured into parallel plate capacitors. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy will be used to assess both the dielectric and pseudocapacitance as well as the charge transfer resistance. Capacitors comprising these new materials will be charged to a variety of voltages and cycled galvanostatically at room temperature.