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Categories: advanced materials, energy

BSA 08-28, 13-03 & 13-04: Electrodes Synthesized from Carbon Nanostructures Coated with a Smooth and Conformal Metal Adlayer

BNL Reference Number: BSA 08-28

Patent Status: Application Number 20100097742 was published on April 22, 2010

Summary

Process flow for deposition of a smooth and conformal noble metal adlayer onto a carbon nanostructure.

Supercapacitors are electrical storage devices that can deliver a huge amount of energy in a short time. Such a surge of energy is important in hybrid electric and fuel cell-powered vehicles, as well as in a wide range of electronic and engineering applications. Since the energy storage capability and the current carrying capability of supercapacitors are proportional to their capacitance, it is important to have as much surface area as possible in the electrode. A smooth and conformal adlayer of ruthenium, a widely used electrode material, deposited on carbon nanostructures such as nanohorns can supply the requisite high surface area with low metal requirements.

Description

The preferred manufacturing process involves the initial oxidation of the carbon nanostructures followed by a surface preparation process involving immersion in a solution with the desired pH to create negative surface dipoles. The nanostructures are subsequently immersed in an alkaline solution containing a suitable quantity of non-noble metal ions which adsorb at surface reaction sites. The metal ions are then reduced via chemical or electrical means. The nanostructures are exposed to a solution containing a salt of one or more noble metals which replace adsorbed non-noble surface metal atoms by galvanic displacement. The process can be controlled and repeated to obtain a desired film coverage.

Have Questions?

For more information about this technology, contact Kimberley Elcess, (631) 344-4151.