Electrode porosity for three-volt ultracapacitor

• US 10,043,615 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UCAP Power, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maxwell Technologies Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Bendale, Priya, Crawford, Robert, Mitchell, Porter, Nelson, Jeffrey, Schafer, Doug, Xi, Xiaomei
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramaswamy, Arun
• Application Number:
  US14/047,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20140098465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 361502, 361503, 361504, 361505
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/14 Arrangements or processes for adjusting or protecting hybrid or EDL capacitors emergency protective circuit arrangements specially adapted for capacitors, and effecting automatic switching in the event of an undesired change from normal working conditions H02H7/16; emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltages without disconnection H02H9/00
• 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 11/28 arranged or disposed on a current collector; Layers or phases between electrodes and current collectors, e.g. adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/32 Carbon-based
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/34 characterised by carbonisation or activation of carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/38 Carbon pastes or blends; Binders or additives therein
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/52 Separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/54 Electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/58 Liquid electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/60 characterised by the solvent
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/62 characterised by the solute, e.g. salts, anions or cations therein
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/68 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/78 Cases; Housings; Encapsulations; Mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/82 Fixing or assembling a capacitive element in a housing, e.g. mounting electrodes, current collectors or terminals in containers or encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/84 Processes for the manufacture of hybrid or EDL capacitors, or components thereof
• 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

Abstract

An electric double-layer ultracapacitor configured to maintain desired operation at an operating voltage of three volts, where the capacitor includes a housing component, a first and a second current collector, a positive and a negative electrode electrically coupled to one of the first and second current collectors, a separator positioned between the positive and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte in ionic contact with the electrodes and the separator. At least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode can be made of a carbon based layer having a mesoporosity and/or a microporosity optimized for ionic mobility therewithin.

Claims

1. An ultracapacitor, comprising:

a first current collector and a second current collector;

a positive electrode electrically coupled to the first current collector;

a negative electrode electrically coupled to the second current collector,

wherein at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode comprises a carbon based layer having a mesoporosity of about 20% to about 25%, and a microporosity of about 70% to about 80%;

a separator positioned between the positive electrode and the negative electrode;

an electrolyte in ionic contact with the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and

a housing component to retain the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the separator and the electrolyte and wherein the ultracapacitor is capable of operating at 3 volts at a temperature of 65°

C. or greater while maintaining less than 200% of its initial equivalent series resistance for over 1500 hours.

2. The ultracapacitor of claim 1, wherein the ultracapacitor is capable of operating at 65°

C. with a cycle life of greater than 500 k cycles.

3. The ultracapacitor of claim 1, wherein the ultracapacitor is configured to operate at 3 volts or greater at 65°

C. and maintaining greater than 80% of its initial capacitance for over 1500 hours.

4. The ultracapacitor of claim 1, wherein the carbon based layer comprises a macroporosity of less than about 5%.

5. The ultracapacitor of claim 1, wherein the carbon based layer comprises a macroporosity of less than about 1%.

6. The ultracapacitor of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode comprises a first thickness and the negative electrode comprises a second thickness, wherein the first thickness of the positive electrode is greater than the second thickness of the negative electrode.

7. The ultracapacitor of claim 6, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness by 10%.