This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes the development of an innovative low-cost material synthesis route for the formation of porous carbons with finely controlled and uniform microstructure, tunable pore size, high surface area, and, most importantly, aligned micropores for rapid ion transport. Conventional supercapacitor electrodes are made of activated carbons with inconsistent properties and random tortuous pores that inhibit the flow of ions in the material. The proposed material will allow much higher power density and faster charge and discharge rates in supercapacitors, as needed by applications in smart electric grids, electric vehicles, energy-efficient industrial equipment and personal electronics.
The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the dramatic enhancement in the performance with simultaneous reduction in cost of supercapacitors. Such improvements are expected to significantly increase the adoption of the supercapacitor technology by industry. The use of supercapacitors in transportation and industrial equipment leads to the dramatic reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Their applications in electrical grids enable the economic use of wind and ocean turbines. The elimination of the activation step in the porous carbon formation will avoid CO and CO2 emissions, thus improving the environmental friendliness of electrode manufacturing processes.
Broader impacts and commercial potential of the project. Supercapacitors, unlike secondary batteries, exhibit much higher specific power and demonstrate outstanding cycle life and greatly improved safety. The use of supercapacitors in transportation and industrial equipment leads to the dramatic reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Their applications in electrical grids enable the economic use of multiple renewable energy technologies, such as wind and ocean turbines. The rate of adoption of this important technology could be significantly enhanced if supercapacitors could be produced at a lower cost or if they offered further improved performance. These device characteristics are linked to the cost and properties of activated carbon electrodes. Unfortunately, nearly all large supercapacitor manufacturers rely on the existing manufacturers of activated carbon. The century-old activation technology offers poor control over the carbon properties and poor reproducibility and leads to the formation of CO2 and CO gases during carbon oxidation. Only revolutionary changes in the carbon synthesis may allow the dramatic performance improvements. The decrease in the carbon cost offered by the technology demonstrated in Phase I by nearly one order of magnitude combined with an order of magnitude faster ion transport inside the aligned pore channels is expected to have a major impact on the supercapacitor market size and the supercapacitor technology adoption.
