Nanomanufacturing of Activated Carbon Nanosphere-Based Supercapacitors from Industrial Biomass Waste

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

There is a strong need for energy storage devices with high capacitance, high energy and high power density. These energy storage devices are required in the development of electric-based transportation and bioengineering for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Electrochemical supercapacitors, which are mostly based on carbon materials, can have much faster charging rates and longer life-times than lithium-ion batteries and can deliver clean and efficient power. The energy density of electrochemical supercapacitors can be increased significantly via the increase in the contact of active materials with electrolyte. This project involve researches in several disciplines, including nanomanufacturing, energy storage, electrochemistry, modeling and simulation. It will lead to the advancement of the processing technology for the fabrication of a class of energy materials with significantly improved electrical-chemical-mechanical properties, help grow the engineering workforce, and enhance U.S. competitiveness and leadership in the areas of energy and transportation. The research results will also provide a better understanding of the effects of electrochemical cycling on the mechanical behavior of materials on the microscale. The ability to produce high performance energy storage devices promises to have a significant impact on various applications, including automobiles, portable electronics, photonics, and bioengineering. This research will synthesize activated carbon nanospheres (ACNs) and carbon nanosphere-based composites from industrial biomass waste derivatives (e.g. bourbon stillage) for applications in electrochemical double layer capacitors, and investigate the effect of electrochemical cycling on the characteristics of the ACNs, including microstructure, surface morphology, and chemical composition. Electrochemical indentation system will be developed for in situ characterization of the mechanical behavior of the ACNs during electrochemical cycling. Numerical modeling of the mechanical response of the ACNs under the action of electrochemical cycling will be developed to investigate the coupling effect between electrokinetic flow and the diffusion of ions on the structural durability of electrochemical double layer capacitors to help design better ACN-based supercapacitors with higher energy capacity and longer durability.