PFI-TT: Ultrafast Electrochemical Capacitors for Electronic and Energy Applications

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to develop an ultrafast electrochemical capacitor technology, which will act as rapidly responding energy devices for pulse signal generation and pulse energy storage in sensor and communication systems or as filtering capacitors to smooth out current ripples in electronic circuits. The market segment of ripple current filtering is currently served by aluminum electrolyte capacitors (AECs).

However, their bulky size, low capacity, polarity sensitivity and poor lifetime prevent the development of miniaturized and advanced electronic systems. In addition, due to AECs' slow response, conventional supercapacitors do not address the need for fast pulse power generation and pulsed energy storage in modern sensors and communication systems. A postdoctoral researcher, a young assistant research scientist and undergraduate students participating in this project will be trained in entrepreneurship and leadership development to accelerate the commercialization of the proposed capacitors.

The proposed research on ultrafast capacitors is aimed at electrode nanostructure design and optimization, fabrication process development, and device characterization and testing. It is expected that addressing these technical hurdles will accelerate the commercialization of the technology. This PFI project will develop novel crosslinked carbon nanofiber sheets, which are further anchored with nanoparticles to achieve both a large electrode surface area and a reduced electrode resistance.

This approach is expected to deliver large capacitance density and a high frequency response which are required to develop high-performance ultrafast electrochemical capacitors. In addition, the project is expected to enable large-scale manufacturing of nanostructured electrodes. Ultimately, this PFI project will de-risk product prototyping and translate prior NSF-funded fundamental research into marketable products.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.