Structural Supercapacitors

Background: This technology is a structural supercapacitor a carbon fiber based composite material made using a solid polymer electrolyte as the matrix (i.e. the bonding resin).The supercapacitor function of the composite material is achieved by building the composite material with a layup similar to that of a traditional electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) .The structural supercapacitor will have a morphology similar to that of an EDLC and in addition to storing electrical charge will be able to withstand mechanical loading making it suitable for building structures with added power storage capability. Technology Description: A structural supercapacitor as it pertains to this technology is a carbon fiber based composite material made using a solid polymer electrolyte as the matrix (i.e. the bonding resin). The supercapacitor function of the composite material is achieved by building the composite material with a layup similar to that of a traditional electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). A typical EDLC stores electrical charges in two electrical layers developed at the electrode-electrolyte interface and separated by a separator. The separator allows ionic flow and restricts electron flow between electrodes. The charge storage capacity of the EDLCs is usually enhanced by making the electrodes out of activated carbon which provide an enhanced surface area for storing ions in the electric layers. Having two electric layers inside the capacitor leads to a significantly larger charge storage capacity in this type of capacitors than in regular capacitors hence the supercapacitor label for EDLCs. The current technology a structural supercapacitor has a morphology similar to that of an EDLC and in addition to storing electrical charge will be able to withstand mechanical loading making it suitable for building structures with added power storage capability. Carbon fiber composite materials are commonly used in aerospace and automotive applications due to their lightweight and high strength characteristics. Starting with a standard carbon fiber composite layup by replacing the polymer matrix with a solid polymer electrolyte performing an activation of the carbon fibers to enhance the contactsurface area between the electrolyte and carbon fibers and adding a separator between every two carbon fiber layers one will achieve a structural capacitor. The formulation of the solid polymer electrolyte plays an important rolel in the successful development of the structural supercapacitor. Applications: 1) Structurally integrated actuators for medical devices such as prosthetic limbs 2) Battery-free electrical wind-powered generators or electric vehicles 3) Multifunctional lightweight aviation and aerospace components 4) Lightweight handheld devices such as calculators cell phones and GPS units