Modified Carbon Fiber Electrodes for Multifunctional Composites

­BACKGROUND
Applications of supercapacitors in the form of structural supercapacitors has been an incredibly interesting field of study in energy storage devices in the previous two decades. Supercapacitors uniquely occupy the interface of capacitors (high power density) and rechargeable batteries (high energy density). Structural supercapacitors are a form of multifunctional composites that provide both electrical storage and structural performance. In the simplest form, a multifunctional structural composite can be fabricated by combining two layers of carbon fiber plies surrounded by an electrolyte and separated by a separator. This constitutes the fundamental principle of a structural supercapacitor. Thus, the three factors that govern the effectiveness of the structural supercapacitor: structural polymer electrolyte, carbon fiber electrodes, and fiber-matrix interface/interphase. Historically, electrolyte compounds exhibit a tradeoff between storage ability and structural performance. However, there has been extensive research to further structural supercapacitors in recent years to address the increasing need for quickly charging and recharging electrical storage materials. 

SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
OSU researchers have developed a structural supercapacitor, using carbon fiber as electrodes and a solid polymer electrolyte, resulting in high multifunctionality using the novel technique of graphene alignment. By employing this technique and aligning the graphene in the solid polymer electrolyte, both the electrical and mechanical properties of the structural supercapacitor will be improved. Initial test data show that ionic conductivity increases 150% and storage modulus (amount of energy needed to impart a unit strain) increases 170% with aligned graphene over the non-aligned graphene containing material, The increased surface area of arranged graphene nanoplatelets is expected to increase the energy and power density ten-fold. This advancement in structural supercapacitor material shows an increase in the multifunctionality of these electrical storage devices, providing great potential benefit to electric vehicles and high performance applications.

POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION

• Energy Storage
• Power industry
• Aerospace and electric vehicles
• Portable electronics

MAIN ADVANTAGES

• State-of-the-art method to overcome maximize electrical storage with the use of graphene
• Lower cost and complexity than batteries
• Enhanced mechanical and electrical properties
• Reduced weight and increased energy efficiency

STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

• A working prototype is available.
• US Patent, US 11,011,322 has issued.