Low-Cost Porous Carbons for Ultracapacitors

Ultracapacitors have the potential to be high-power energy sources for electric and hybrid vehicles. However, current ultracapacitors based on porous carbon electrodes are too expensive for vehicle application, mainly due to the expense of the carbon. An inexpensive porous carbon material, which will perform as well as the expensive carbons, is needed. In this project, porous carbons will be produced from sugars to make ultracapacitor electrodes that are inexpensive and stable, and have high capacitance and rapid charge-discharge response. In Phase I, porous carbons for ultracapacitors will be prepared and tested in laboratory cells, and their performance will be compared to commercial carbons. A production process will be designed to be suitable for large-scale production, with the goal of producing thousands of tons of carbon per year. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to their application for electric and hybrid vehicles, ultracapacitors are used in many consumer electronic devices such as cell phones, cameras, etc. The use of inexpensive porous carbons would decrease the cost of ultracapacitors in all of these applications