High power energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries, are critical
for the development of zero-emission electrical vehicles, large scale smart grid, and energy
efficient cargo ships and locomotives. The energy storage characteristics of supercapacitors
and Li-ion batteries are mostly determined by the specific capacities of their electrodes,
while their power characteristics are influenced by the maximum rate of the ion transport.
The talk will focus on the development of nanocomposite electrodes capable to improve both
the energy and power storage characteristics of the state of the art devices. Carbon-polymer
and carbon-metal oxide nanocomposites have been demonstrated to greatly exceed
the specific capacitance of traditional electrodes for supercapacitors. Selected materials
showed the unprecedented ultra-fast charging and discharging characteristics. Intelligently
designed silicon-carbon-polymer composites showed up to 8 times higher specific capacity
than graphite, the conventional anode material in Li-ion batteries, and stable performance
for over 1000 cycles. In order to overcome the limitations of traditional composites precise
control over the materials' structure and porosity at the nanoscale was required.
https://mediaspace.gatech.edu/media/yushin/1_snjf3gaa
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