EEstor, eat your heart out!

[Texas]

New Nanoscale supercapacitor can store 100 times more energy




"March 23, 2009 It has been a big week for news on advances in energy storage technology. We recently reported on new research that makes a Lithium Ion battery perform more like a supercapacitor, now we can report on research on a supercapacitor that performs more like a battery. Researchers at the University of Maryland and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a supercapacitor with 10 billion nanoscale capacitors per square centimeter, giving it 250 times greater surface area than that of a conventional capacitor of comparable size. The Nano Supercapacitor is being developed primarily as part of a hybrid battery-capacitor system for electric cars.

Batteries, particularly lithium-ion, store large amounts of energy but have more difficulty with high power or fast recharge. Capacitors, on the other hand, can be charged or discharged at a very high rate. Existing supercapacitors have an energy densities around 1/10th that of a conventional battery, but their power density is generally ten to one-hundred times as great

The Maryland/KAIST research team’s new devices are electrostatic nanocapacitors which increase the energy storage density of such devices by a factor of 100 over that of commercially available devices without sacrificing the high power they traditionally characteristically offer. Current commercial supercapacitors range from 0.5 to 30 wh/kg, while the research is in its early stages, if they reach their claim of a 100 increase that will result in 3000 wh/kg. For comparison, a conventional lead-acid battery is typically 30 to 40 wh/kg and modern lithium-ion batteries are about 160 wh/kg. In automobile applications gasoline contains around 12,000 wh/kg, which operates at 15% tank-to-wheel efficiency giving an effective energy density of 1800 wh/kg"


http://www.gizmag.com/nanoscale-supercapacitor/11297/

[Mac]

This is excellent news - any idea on costs?

[IamIan]

sorry to be the bubble buster / reality checker .... damn these reporter reporting on other reporters need to do a better job.

The linked article in GizMag where the GizMag reporter ( Paul Evans ) claims 3,000 wh / kg .... he does at least sites as the sources of his information....

An article from the Maryland Nano Tech Center by a different reporter .... that claims ,

The Maryland research team's new devices are electrostatic nanocapacitors which dramatically increase energy storage density of such devices - by a factor of 10 over that of commercially available devices - without sacrificing the high power they traditionally characteristically offer. This advance brings electrostatic devices to a performance level competitive with electrochemical capacitors

... which only means that electrostatic capacitors equal = to electrochemical capacitors ... nice ... but no 3,000 wh / kg. ...
this article sites two sources for this information.

A college reporters article at the University of Maryland where the researcher says,

Next-generation batteries based on novel nanotechnology devices developed at the University of Maryland could take as little as 10 years to appear in cars, Rubloff says.

& also on an abstract in Nature Nanotechnology

Nanostructured devices have the potential to serve as the basis for next-generation energy systems that make use of densely packed interfaces and thin films1. One approach to making such devices is to build multilayer structures of large area inside the open volume of a nanostructured template. Here, we report the use of atomic layer deposition to fabricate arrays of metal–insulator–metal nanocapacitors in anodic aluminium oxide nanopores. These highly regular arrays have a capacitance per unit planar area of approx10 microF cm-2 for 1-microm-thick anodic aluminium oxide and approx100 microF cm-2 for 10-microm-thick anodic aluminium oxide, significantly exceeding previously reported values for metal–insulator–metal capacitors in porous templates2, 3, 4, 5, 6. It should be possible to scale devices fabricated with this approach to make viable energy storage systems that provide both high energy density and high power density.

Some nice additional pictures of the nano scale success are here.

---------------

to sum up...

they found a new way to increase the surface area for a electrostatic capacitor .... They still have to work out details .... if all goes well , they expect that within ~10 years we might be able to see this research in products to buy .... the resulting products will be electrostatic capacitors that are equal = to electrochemical capacitors....

sorry guys... the 3,000 wh/ kg reporter is just going for sensationalism , and hits .... no such claim is being made by the research staff.

[Anto]

It's ok to be a "bubble buster / reality checker" than to BS the public that the US Government and Martians from Mars are holding back the EESTOR EESCAM technology for national security reasons .

[Texas]

Exactly, what makes this any less significant that what EEscam is claiming? Also, These guys actually have a working prototype! EEscam? No.

Thus, if we have a supercapacitor with the same capacity as a lithium-ion battery at a reasonable price then this would change everything. It would mean almost instantaneous charging times (as fast as you could pump the juice in), fast discharging times (put just about any ICE car to shame), infinite life (no reason to foul up or to waste away), etc.

Ten years would be nothing to wait for this technology to reach volume production. How long do you think it will take EEscam to get a product out in volume? Answer: Never.

[Altazi]

An energy-storage device having sufficient capacity to fully power an EV, and is also capable of being rapidly charged will be a game-changer. This would be the one thing that could bypass the EREV concept, and will set EVs free. I can even imagine the electrical equivalent of the "portable gas can". If only . . .

Someone is going to get it right. It simply must be done.

[IamIan]

Also, These guys actually have a working prototype! EEscam? No.

Sorry I wasn't more clear in describing the errors of the reporter.

They do NOT have a working prototype of this capacitor.

They developed and verified a method of creating a electrolytic surface that has more surface area... that is all they did... they have many many other issues to overcome in order to build a prototype device... and then verify that device.

Thus, if we have a supercapacitor with the same capacity as a lithium-ion battery at a reasonable price then this would change everything.

yes what you describe would be nice.

But , again this is not what the researchers did... and it is not what the researchers are claiming.

They are claiming that eventually this research will yield Electrolytic capacitors with equal charge density to electro-chemical capacitors... but electro-chemical capacitors ( also known as Ultra-capacitors ) are still currently maxed out at ~30wh/kg or not even yet as good as Lead Acid batteries.

Ten years would be nothing to wait for this technology to reach volume production.

yes... just remember what this technology actually is... and promises in ~10 years to give us electrolytic capacitors with 30 wh/kg ... and not what the hack reporter at GizMag thought it was.

[KariK]

yes... just remember what this technology actually is... and promises in ~10 years to give us electrolytic capacitors with 30 wh/kg ... and not what the hack reporter at GizMag thought it was.

... and of course the claim EEStor has made is 385 Wh/kg (52 kWh battery, weighing 300 lbs, which is 135 kg, see
http://www.zennergy.com/). That is why that technology would be world changing. Now if we only could get it going.

[Anto]

Hey Karik, Where is EESTOR, Dick Weir and his prototype? Keep dreaming for another 10 years.

Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009 Final Program
Posted on: January 6th, 2009 by SheriBonnell
Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009Final program confirmed featuring the latest in industry developments, applications and technology

"PORTLAND, Maine, January 6, 2009 —IntetechPira, a leading conference and research organization is pleased to announce the final program for the 7th annual Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009 set for March 31 – April 2, 2009 at the Hilton Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA, US.

Co-Chaired by Richard Smith, ANA Strategic System Group and Andrew Burke of the University of California Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, this year’s program is designed to help current and prospective users, integrators and suppliers of advanced power systems understand modern energy storage and delivery challenges for power intensive applications and identify business opportunities and realities with adopting advanced capacitors and capacitor hybrid systems to solve application energy requirements. Speakers will discuss the latest market trends and developments, power engineering and integration strategies, design and business implications and costs associated with advanced power systems for various applications, including transportation, automotive, power and consumer electronics and renewable energy.

Market Overview and industry developments:

Bobby Maher of M Cubed Consulting will start off the program with a comprehensive overview of ultracapacitor market trends and technology advancement and David Alexander from IVUS Energy Solutions, creator of the patented FlashPoint Power Technology, will address serious challenges that arise when developing capacitors for the market. Andy Burke of UC Davis will provide an engaging comparison of ultracapacitors and advanced battery technology in terms of performance, cost and versatility, while John Miller of Maxwell Technologies will show how the two technologies can be best applied in tandem. A panel presentation from members of the investment community will conclude the morning session and will provide insight on how to secure funding in uncertain economic times.
John Skibinski of Eaton Corporation will shed light on the growing demand for advanced energy storage technologies for wind and solar applications. Speakers from Volvo Technology Corporation, General Electric and NREL will discuss engineering energy storage systems for hybrid electric vehicles and heavy hybrids. Aerospace applications will be explored with presentations from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and company partner PC Krause and Associates and additional new and emerging applications will be covered by Jin Song of Nesscap."

[IamIan]

... and of course the claim EEStor has made is 385 Wh/kg (52 kWh battery, weighing 300 lbs, which is 135 kg, see
http://www.zennergy.com/). That is why that technology would be world changing. Now if we only could get it going.

Talk is cheap.
Anybody can claim anything. Doesn't make it true.

I'll wait until EESTor puts their money ( not other people's money ) were there mouth is... offer sample units for sale... let 3rd party skeptics test them... let me test them...

until then... they are all talk...