Stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure

• US 10,854,394 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2019
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Yu, Yang, Wang, Jia-Ping, Jiang, Kai-Li, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Dion
• Application Number:
  US16/379,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20200006014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/26 characterised by their structure, e.g. multi-layered, porosity or surface features
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/36 Nanostructures, e.g. nanofibres, nanotubes or fullerenes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/56 Solid electrolytes, e.g. gels; Additives therein
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/78 Cases; Housings; Encapsulations; Mountings
• 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

A stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure includes a capacitor electrode and a conductor structure forming an integrated molding. The capacitor electrode includes a plurality of carbon nanotube layers, and an active substance layer is located between adjacent carbon nanotube layers. Both the carbon nanotube layer and the conductor structure include a plurality of super-aligned carbon nanotube films. A surface of the stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure comprises a plurality of wrinkles. A stretchable supercapacitor including the stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure is also provided.

Claims

1. A stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure comprising:

a capacitor electrode comprising a plurality of carbon nanotube layers stacked with each other, and an active substance layer between adjacent two of the carbon nanotube layers, each of the plurality of carbon nanotube layers comprising a plurality of first super-aligned carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and each of the plurality of first super-aligned carbon nanotube films comprising a plurality of first carbon nanotubes substantially parallel with each other; and

a conductor structure comprising a plurality of second super-aligned carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and each of the plurality of second super-aligned carbon nanotube films comprising a plurality of second carbon nanotubes substantially parallel with each other,

wherein the capacitor electrode and the conductor structure are formed by an integrated molding, and a surface of the stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure comprises a plurality of wrinkles.

2. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein the first carbon nanotubes are differently aligned between adjacent two of the first super-aligned carbon nanotube films, and the second carbon nanotubes are differently aligned between adjacent two of the second super-aligned carbon nanotube films.

3. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 2, wherein alignment directions of the first carbon nanotubes between adjacent two of the first super-aligned carbon nanotube films intersect at angle of approximately 90 degrees.

4. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 2, wherein alignment directions of the second carbon nanotubes between adjacent two of the second super-aligned carbon nanotube films intersect at angle of approximately 90 degrees.

5. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotube layers comprises a first outermost carbon nanotube layer, a second outermost carbon nanotube layer, and at least one internal carbon nanotube layer between the first and the second outermost carbon nanotube layers;

each of the first and the second outermost carbon nanotube layers comprises a first quantity of the super-aligned carbon nanotube films;

each of the internal carbon nanotube layer comprises a second quantity of the super-aligned carbon nanotube films;

the first quantity is larger than the second quantity.

6. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 5, wherein each of the first and the second outermost carbon nanotube layers comprises six (6) of the super-aligned carbon nanotube films.

7. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 6, wherein each of the at least one internal carbon nanotube layer comprises two (2) of the super-aligned carbon nanotube films.

8. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein the capacitor electrode comprises twelve (12) of the carbon nanotube layers stacked with each other.

9. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, further comprising an elastic substrate, wherein each of the capacitor electrode and the conductor structure is on and in direct contact with a surface of the elastic substrate.

10. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 9, wherein a material of the elastic substrate is silicone rubber, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or polydimethylsiloxane.

11. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein microporous are defined by the first plurality of super-aligned carbon nanotube films, and particle sizes of an active substance of the active substance layer are smaller than sizes the microporous, and the active substance layer is partially embedded in the plurality of carbon nanotube layers.

12. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein a surface density of the active substance layer ranges from approximately 3 mg/cm² to approximately 8 mg/cm².

13. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein a material of the active substance layer is capacitor electrode active material or electrode active material precursor material.

14. The stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure of claim 1, wherein the first super-aligned carbon nanotube films in the capacitor electrode and the second super-aligned carbon nanotube films in the conductor structure are pure and free of impurities.

15. A stretchable supercapacitor comprising:

a stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure comprising;

a capacitor electrode comprising a plurality of carbon nanotube layers stacked with each other, and an active substance layer between adjacent two of the carbon nanotube layers, each of the plurality of carbon nanotube layers comprising a plurality of first super-aligned carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and each of the plurality of first super-aligned carbon nanotube films comprising a plurality of first carbon nanotubes substantially parallel with each other; and

a conductor structure comprising a plurality of second super-aligned carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and each of the plurality of second super-aligned carbon nanotube films comprising a plurality of second carbon nanotubes substantially parallel with each other;

an electrolyte coated on a surface of the capacitor electrode; and

a packaging structure encapsulating the stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure and the electrolyte,

wherein the capacitor electrode and the conductor structure are formed by integrated molding, and a surface of the stretchable capacitor electrode-conductor structure comprises a plurality of wrinkles.

16. The stretchable supercapacitor of claim 15, wherein the electrolyte is an aqueous gel electrolyte.

17. The stretchable supercapacitor of claim 16, wherein the aqueous gel electrolyte is prepared by dissolving polyvinyl alcohol in deionized water and then adding phosphoric acid to the deionized water.

18. The stretchable supercapacitor of claim 15, wherein a material of the packaging structure is a flexible material.

19. The stretchable supercapacitor of claim 18, wherein the material of the packaging structure is polydimethylsiloxane.