Low-Cost Porous Carbons for Ultracapacitors

Ultracapacitors have the potential to be high-power energy sources for electric and hybrid vehicles. However, current ultracapacitors based on porous carbon electrodes are too expensive for vehicle application, mainly due to the cost of the carbon. What is needed is an inexpensive porous carbon that performs as well as the expensive carbons currently being used. In this project, porous carbons will be produced from sugars to make electrodes for ultracapacitors that are inexpensive and stable, and have high capacitance and rapid charge-discharge response. A production process will be developed, with the goal of producing thousands of tons of carbon per year. In Phase I, porous carbons were synthesized and characterized. The carbons were tested in laboratory test cells, and an engineering analysis was conducted to evaluate the cost and performance of the porous carbon materials. As a result of this work, a continuous process to make inexpensive carbons from sugars was developed. In Phase II, the production process will be optimized for large-scale production. The best carbons will be tested in ultracapacitor devices suitable for use in vehicle applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Inexpensive porous carbons should decrease the cost of ultracapacitors, not only for electric and hybrid vehicles but also for ultracapacitors used in many consumer electronic devices, such as cell phones, cameras, etc.