SBIR Phase I:Developing Advanced Ultracapacitors Using Carbon Nanomaterials & Environmentally Friendly Electrolytes

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aimes to develop advanced ultracapacitors for hybrid electrical vehicles (HEVs). The proposed research will demonstrate the feasibility of achieving high capacitance for aligned CNTs in ionic liquids and using optimized CNTs and ionic liquid to develop ultracapacitors possessing superior performance and cycle-life exceeding those of currently available ultracapacitors. The world ultracapacitor market is expected to reach $181.3 million by 2009. Advanced vehicular ultracapacitors are extremely useful in achieving better fuel economy, decreasing harmful emissions, and reducing our nation's reliance on foreign sources of petroleum. In addition to ultracapacitors, research in the proposed project will also have a broad impact on the applications of carbon nanomaterials to other electronic and electrochemical devices.