PFI-TT: High-Energy Supercapacitors Based on Materials Stable Over Large Voltage Ranges

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to fill a critical need for supercapacitors with high energy and endurance through the commercialization of a novel, uniquely stable redox may offer faster charging and a longer cycle life than batteries, to complement current energy storage devices for powering wireless networks that are vital in industrial automation, smart homes and transportation, healthcare, etc. This project will deliver processing knowledge to scale up the synthesis of materials and demonstrate manufacturable prototypes to meet energy storage requirements in the electronics sector, facilitating the development of next-generation, energy-autonomous systems. This project will enable improvements in the energy density of supercapacitors by deploying new molecular design paradigms that impart high stability in redox polymers and allow high voltage operation. The goal of this research and technology commercialization project is to determine processing design rules that encompass structural and electrochemical strategies. These strategies are critical to implementing manufacturing processes for a new class of high-endurance, energy-dense supercapacitors. The research tasks include: refinement of redox materials design, scale up of monomer synthesis, and optimization of electropolymerization conditions to synergistically combine reduced graphene oxide and the redox polymer in supercapacitor electrodes. The project seek to develop a path to manufacture high-performance supercapacitors that address energy storage problems in wireless electronics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.