Carbon for high voltage EDLCs

• US 9,136,064 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Gadkaree, Kishor Purushottam, Husted, Andrew Fleitz, Liu, Xiaorong
• Primary Examiner(s): Rump, Richard M
• Application Number:
  US14/166,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20150030526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 429/231.8, 502/416, 502/417
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/003 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/02 of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles B29C35/0227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/32 Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/52 Heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2061/04 Phenoplasts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2103/04 Inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/251 Particles, powder or granules expandable particles B29K2105/046
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/336 characterised by gaseous activating agents
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/14 Pore volume
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/16 Pore diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/24 characterised by structural features of the materials making up or comprised in the electrodes, e.g. form, surface area or porosity; characterised by the structural features of powders or particles used therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/34 characterised by carbonisation or activation of carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/44 Raw materials therefor, e.g. resins or coal
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/86 specially adapted for electrodes carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A method for producing activated carbon includes heating a phenolic novolac resin carbon precursor at a carbonization temperature effective to form a carbon material, and reacting the carbon material with CO₂ at an activation temperature effective to form the activated carbon. The resulting activated carbon can be incorporated into a carbon-based electrode of an EDLC. Such EDLC can exhibit a potential window and thus an attendant operating voltage of greater than 3V.

Claims

1. A method of forming activated carbon, comprising:

carbonizing a carbon precursor by heating the carbon precursor at a carbonization temperature effective to form a carbon material; and

activating the carbon material by heating the carbon material at an activation temperature while exposing the carbon material to carbon dioxide,

wherein the carbon precursor comprises phenolic novolac resin, and

wherein the activated carbon comprises;

pores having a size of ≦

1 nm, which provide a combined pore volume of ≧

0.2 cm³/g;

pores having a size of from >

1 nm to ≦

2 nm, which provide a combined pore volume ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 cm³/g; and

<

0.20 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon comprises

pores having a size of ≦

1 nm, which provide a combined pore volume of ≧

0.3 cm³/g;

pores having a size of from >

1 nm to ≦

2 nm, which provide a combined pore volume ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 cm³/g; and

<

0.1 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon precursor consists essentially of phenolic novolac resin.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising curing the carbon precursor prior to carbonizing at a curing temperature ranging from 65-200°

C.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbonization temperature is from 600-800°

C.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activation temperature is from 900-1100°

C.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon material has an average particle size of less than 200 microns prior to activation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon material has an average particle size of from 1 to 10 microns prior to activation.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising modifying the average particle size of the activated carbon to less than 20 microns.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon comprises <

0.05 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon comprises a total pore volume of ≧

0.45 cm³/g.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activated carbon comprises a total pore volume of ≧

0.70 cm³/g.

13. The activated carbon produced according to the method of claim 1.

14. An electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC) having at least one electrode, wherein the at least one electrode comprises the activated carbon produced according to the method of claim 1.

15. The electrochemical double layer capacitor according to claim 13, wherein the EDLC has potential window of greater than 3V.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein curing comprises heating a mixture of hexamethylene tetraamine and the carbon precursor to the curing temperature.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein curing comprises heating the carbon precursor to and holding at a first temperature ranging from 25-50°

C. and heating to the curing temperature.

18. Activated carbon derived from phenolic novolac resin, said activated carbon comprising:

pores having a size of ≦

1 nm, which provide a combined pore volume of ≧

0.2 cm³/g;

pores having a size of from >

1 nm to ≦

2 nm, which provide a combined pore volume ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 cm³/g; and

<

0.2 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.

19. Activated carbon comprising:

pores having a size of ≦

1 nm, which provide a combined pore volume of ≧

0.2 cm³/g;

pores having a size of from >

1 nm to ≦

2 nm, which provide a combined pore volume ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 cm³/g; and

<

0.2 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.

20. The activated carbon of claim 19, comprising <

0.05 cm³/g combined pore volume of any pores having a size of >

2 nm.