Capacitors: is there anything they can’t do? Well yeah, there is. They can’t BBQ me up a burger and run to the store to get me some soda. And they do not have the energy density of a battery. But what a hybrid ultracapacitor/lithium-ion battery? By combining the chemistries of ultracapacitors and lithium-ion batteries, a company called ‘Ioxus’ has created a hybrid energy-storage device that could recharge power tools in minutes and might never need to be replaced. The company says future incarnations could perhaps be used to capture energy from braking vehicles. Ioxus Hybrid Capacitors are similar to lithium-ion batteries, except they store charge at the surface of the electrode rather than within. Hybrid capacitors store 85 to 115% more energy than ultracapacitors, while retaining a high cycle life in comparison to a battery. Hybrid capacitors have more power than lithium-ion batteries but less energy storage. And the potential is still at the low "ultracap" levels of 1V to 2.3V.
The hybrid energy-storage device consists of an etched aluminum film coated on one side with carbon slurry, which is similar to the electrode found in an ultracapacitor. The other electrode, on the other side of the film, is coated not with carbon but with a lithium-ion material, providing more energy-storage capacity. The film is wound into a cylinder to make the finished device. Power tools using this new ultracapacitor wouldn’t run very long but would only take a minute to recharge which is perfect for people who don’t use them on a daily basis. A good achievement, but I will wait for the graphene supercaps. They still can’t buy me lunch, which adds to my disappointment.
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