Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The storage of electrical energy is required in many applications such as telecommunications devices (eg. cell phones), stand-by power systems and electric/hybrid vehicles. The development of electrical energy storage systems with improved performances will play a major role in the development of our modern society. This research proposal seeks to improve the asymmetric electrochemical capacitor based on a carbon negative electrode and a manganese dioxide positive electrode in such a way that it will allow its commercialization. More specifically, new current collectors and electrode formulation will be developed for the first generation of this electrochemical capacitor. Then, room temperature ionic liquid will be investigated to improve further the performance of the hybrid electrochemical capacitor and yield a second generation of this device. Our industrial partner, LaCima Corporation, is currently engaged in the commercialization of symmetric carbon-based electrochemical capacitors and also wants to expand their products line and develop carbon/manganese dioxide hybrid energy storage systems in Canada. However, improvement of this electrochemical capacitor is crucial to reach this goal.