Supercapacitor

Supercapacitor
Schematic illustration of a supercapacitor[1]
A diagram that shows a hierarchical classification of supercapacitors and capacitors of related types

A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than solid-state capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable batteries. It typically stores 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume or mass than electrolytic capacitors, can accept and deliver charge much faster than batteries, and tolerates many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.[2]

Unlike ordinary capacitors, supercapacitors do not use the conventional solid dielectric, but rather, they use electrostatic double-layer capacitance and electrochemical pseudocapacitance,[3] both of which contribute to the total energy storage of the capacitor.

Supercapacitors are used in applications requiring many rapid charge/discharge cycles, rather than long-term compact energy storage: in automobiles, buses, trains, cranes and elevators, where they are used for regenerative braking, short-term energy storage, or burst-mode power delivery.[4] Smaller units are used as power backup for static random-access memory (SRAM).

  1. ^ Qi, Zhaoxiang; Koenig, Gary M. (July 2017). "Review Article: Flow battery systems with solid electroactive materials". Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena. 35 (4): 040801. Bibcode:2017JVSTB..35d0801Q. doi:10.1116/1.4983210. ISSN 2166-2746.
  2. ^ Häggström, Fredrik; Delsing, Jerker (27 November 2018). "IoT Energy Storage - A Forecast". Energy Harvesting and Systems. 5 (3–4): 43–51. doi:10.1515/ehs-2018-0010. S2CID 64526195. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. ^ Bueno, Paulo R. (28 February 2019). "Nanoscale origins of super-capacitance phenomena". Journal of Power Sources. 414: 420–434. Bibcode:2019JPS...414..420B. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.01.010. ISSN 0378-7753. S2CID 104416995.
  4. ^ Tehrani, Z.; Thomas, D.J.; Korochkina, T.; Phillips, C.O.; Lupo, D.; Lehtimäki, S.; O'Mahony, J.; Gethin, D.T. (2 January 2017). "Large-area printed supercapacitor technology for low-cost domestic green energy storage" (PDF). Energy. 118: 1313–1321. Bibcode:2017Ene...118.1313T. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2016.11.019. ISSN 0360-5442. S2CID 55090490.