U.S. patent application number 13/350974 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-10 for electrode for super capacitor having metal oxide deposited on ultrafine carbon fiber and the fabrication method thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Invention is credited to Young Rack AHN, Sung-Yeon JANG, Seong Mu JO, Dong Young KIM.
Application Number | 20120113565 13/350974 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39852985 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120113565 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KIM; Dong Young ; et
al. |
May 10, 2012 |
ELECTRODE FOR SUPER CAPACITOR HAVING METAL OXIDE DEPOSITED ON
ULTRAFINE CARBON FIBER AND THE FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
The present invention discloses an improved electrode for a
supercapacitor and a method of preparation thereof. The inventive
electrode comprises a collector, a carbon substrate disposed on the
collector comprising ultrafine carbon fibers having a specific
surface area of at least 200 m.sup.2/g (BET) and a d.sub.002 value
of 0.36 nm or less, and a metal oxide thin layer formed on the
carbon substrate. The electrode of the subject invention retains a
high specific capacitance during high-speed charging and
discharging cycles.
Inventors: |
KIM; Dong Young; (Seoul,
KR) ; JO; Seong Mu; (Seoul, KR) ; JANG;
Sung-Yeon; (Daegu, KR) ; AHN; Young Rack;
(Seoul, KR) |
Assignee: |
KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
39852985 |
Appl. No.: |
13/350974 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12081327 |
Apr 15, 2008 |
8120892 |
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13350974 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
361/502 ;
427/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01G 11/24 20130101;
H01G 11/28 20130101; H01G 11/34 20130101; Y02T 10/70 20130101; C01B
32/168 20170801; B82Y 30/00 20130101; H01G 11/46 20130101; B82Y
40/00 20130101; Y02T 10/7022 20130101; H01G 11/86 20130101; H01G
11/36 20130101; Y02E 60/13 20130101; D01F 9/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/502 ;
427/77 |
International
Class: |
H01G 9/042 20060101
H01G009/042; B05D 5/12 20060101 B05D005/12; H01G 9/155 20060101
H01G009/155 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 16, 2007 |
KR |
10-2007-0037096 |
Claims
1. A method of preparing an electrode for a supercapacitor which
comprises the steps of: (a) forming ultrafine carbon fibers having
a specific surface area of at least 200 m.sup.2/g (BET) and a
d.sub.002 value of 0.36 nm or less by electrospinning a melt or a
solution of a carbon fiber-precursor polymer to obtain spun fibers
and carbonizing the spun fibers; (b) attaching a mat-type carbon
substrate consisting of the ultrafine carbon fibers on a collector
using a binder, or forming a carbon substrate by coating a mixture
of a ground form of the ultrafine carbon fibers and a binder on a
collector; and (c) forming a metal oxide thin layer on the carbon
substrate.
2. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the binder is
selected from the group consisting of polyurethane and polyurethane
copolymers comprising polyetherurethane; cellulose derivatives such
as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butylate and cellulose
acetate propionate; polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA);
polymethylacrylate (PMA); polyacryl copolymers; polyvinylacetate
and polyvinylacetate copolymers; polyvinylalcohol (PVA);
polyperfurylalcohol (PPFA); polystyrene and polystyrene copolymers;
polyethyleneoxide (PEO); polypropyleneoxide (PPO) and
polyethyleneoxide copolymers; polypropyleneoxide copolymers;
polycarbonate (PC), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polycaprolactone,
polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylfluoride,
polyvinylidenefluoride and the copolymers thereof; and
polyamide.
3. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the mixture used in
step (b) further comprises a conducting material.
4. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the carbon substrate
of step (b) is formed using a doctor-blade or electrospray
method.
5. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the metal oxide thin
layer of step (c) is deposited on the carbon substrate by a
constant current or cyclic voltammetry method.
6. The electrode according to claim 1, which further comprises the
step of heat-treating the metal oxide thin layer after step
(c).
7. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein step (a) further
comprises the step of heat-treating the spun fibers obtained after
electrospinning at a temperature of 300.degree. C. or less before
the carbonizing step.
8. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein step (a) further
comprises the step of activating the ultrafine carbon fibers under
an oxidative environment.
9. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the carbon
fiber-precursor polymer is 1) petroleum pitch or coal pitch, 2) a
polyacrylonitrile or polyacrylonitrile copolymer, 3) cellulose or a
cellulose derivative or 4) a halogenated polymer, wherein the
halogenated polymer is selected from the group consisting of i)
homopolymers and copolymers of fluoropolymers comprising
poly(vinylidene fluoride),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-tetrafluoroethylene),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) and
perfluoropolymers; ii) homopolymers and copolymers of halogenated
monomers comprising polyvinyl chloride), poly(vinylidene chloride),
poly(vinylidenechloride-co-vinylchloride) and saran polymers; and
iii) a mixture thereof.
10. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the carbonization
in step (a) is conducted in the presence of a C.sub.1-C.sub.10
hydrocarbon gas.
11. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the melt or the
solution of the carbon fiber-precursor polymer contains a
graphitization catalyst.
12. The electrode according to claim 11, wherein the graphitization
catalyst is particles of a metal selected from the group consisting
of a transition metal, a non-transition metal, and a mixture
thereof; or a compound of said metal which can form the
corresponding metal particles during the carbonization step.
13. The electrode according to claim 12, wherein the transition
metal is Pt, Ru, Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, Pd, W, Ir, Rh, Sr, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm,
Re, or a mixture thereof; the non-transition metal is Mg, B, Al, or
a mixture thereof; and the metal compound is selected from the
group consisting of CuCl.sub.2, CoCl.sub.2, OsCl.sub.3, CrCl.sub.2,
VCl.sub.3, TaCl.sub.2, TiCl.sub.4, (NH.sub.3).sub.6RuCl.sub.3,
ZrCl.sub.4, HfCl.sub.4, MnCl.sub.2, ZnCl.sub.2, FeCl.sub.3,
NiCl.sub.2, PdCl.sub.2, MgCl.sub.2, Pd(NO.sub.3).sub.2,
(NH.sub.3).sub.4Pt(NO.sub.3).sub.2, Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.3,
Ni(NO.sub.3).sub.2, Mg(NO.sub.3).sub.2 and organometallic compound
containing Fe, Pd, or Ni, and a mixture thereof.
14. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the melt or the
solution of the carbon fiber-precursor polymer further comprises
carbon black or carbon nanotubes dispersed uniformly therein.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention provides an electrode for a
supercapacitor comprising an electrochemically deposited metal
oxide thin layer on ultrafine carbon fibers having a high specific
surface area and a high electric conductivity, and the fabrication
method thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A supercapacitor can be broadly classified as an electric
double layer capacitor (EDLC) which employs carbon particles or
fibers having a high specific surface area as an electrode material
or as a pseudocapacitor comprising a metal oxide or a conductive
polymer.
[0003] An EDLC exhibits a long lifetime but due to the accumulation
of charges only on the surface of the electric double layer, the
capacitance thereof is lower than that of a metal oxide-based or an
electric conductive polymer-based supercapacitor.
[0004] The metal of a metal oxide-based supercapacitor is capable
of undergoing a change in its multiple valence states, which allows
oxidation and reduction reactions to take place. Such oxidation and
reduction reactions corresponding to charging and discharging
processes require the ion and electron to move rapidly between the
electrolyte and the electrode, and accordingly, the electrode is
preferred to have a high specific surface area, and the electrode
active material, a high electric conductivity.
[0005] Since ruthenium oxide heat-treated at a low temperature
exhibits a very high specific capacitance as well as a high
electric conductivity similar to that of a metal (J. Electrochem.
Soc. 142, 2699 (1995)), a number of studies have been conducted to
use ruthenium oxide as an electrode material for a supercapacitor.
However, ruthenium is expensive and only the ruthenium oxide
exposed on the surface of the ruthenium oxide particles
participates in the oxidation-reduction reaction. Therefore, a
variety of methods such as forming a complex of ruthenium oxide
with an inexpensive metal oxide or a carbon material, or depositing
ruthenium oxide on a support having a large specific surface area
have been attempted.
[0006] Various carbon materials have been considered for use as a
support. Active carbon has a high specific surface area of 1,000
m.sup.2/g or more, but has a low electric conductivity; while
carbon black has an excellent electric conductivity, but the
specific surface area thereof is very low, about 10 m.sup.2/g or
less. Therefore, an electrode for a supercapacitor prepared by
depositing a metal oxide thin layer on such carbon materials has a
tendency to exhibit a high specific capacitance at low-speed
charging and discharging cycles, but a low specific capacitance at
a high-speed charging and discharging. A supercapacitor employed in
fuel cell-driven or hybrid automobiles is required to have good
high-speed charging and discharging capabilities.
[0007] Accordingly, there has been a need to develop an electrode
for a supercapacitor having a high specific surface area and a good
electric conductivity which is capable of maintaining a high
specific capacitance during high-speed charging and discharging
cycles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides an electrode for a
supercapacitor which can maintain a high specific capacitance
during high-speed charging and discharging cycles, which comprises
an ultrafine carbon fiber substrate having a good electric
conductivity as well as a high specific surface area having a metal
oxide thin layer electrochemically deposited thereon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1: A schematic diagram for the preparation of the
electrode for a supercapacitor in accordance with one embodiment of
the subject invention;
[0010] FIG. 2a: A scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of
a graphitical ultrafine carbon fiber mat;
[0011] FIG. 2b: A scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of
a carbon substrate prepared by a mixture of a ground graphitical
ultrafine carbon fiber and a polymer binder;
[0012] FIGS. 3a and 3b: Cyclic voltammetry curves of the electrode
at two different charge-discharge rates in accordance with Example
1 and a Comparative Example 1, respectively; and
[0013] FIG. 4: Changes in the specific capacitance with the sweep
rate observed for the electrode for a supercapacitor in accordance
with one embodiment of the subject invention and a comparative
electrode.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is an
electrode for a supercapacitor comprising a collector, a carbon
substrate comprising an ultrafine carbon fiber whose specific
surface area is at least 200 m.sup.2/g (BET) and d.sub.002 is 0.36
nm or less, and a metal oxide thin layer formed on the carbon
substrate.
[0015] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is a
method for preparing the electrode for a supercapacitor comprising
the steps of forming ultrafine carbon fibers by electrospinning a
melt or a solution of a carbon fiber-precursor polymer followed by
carbonizing, attaching a mat-type carbon substrate comprising the
ultrafine carbon fibers on the collector using a binder, and
forming a metal oxide thin layer on the carbon substrate.
[0016] Still another preferred embodiment of the present invention
is a method for preparing the electrode for a supercapacitor
comprising the steps of forming ultrafine carbon fibers by
electrospinning a melt or a solution of a carbon fiber-precursor
polymer to obtain spun fibers and carbonizing the spun fibers,
forming a carbon substrate by coating a mixture prepared by
grinding the ultrafine carbon fibers followed by mixing with a
binder on a collector, and forming a metal oxide thin layer on the
carbon substrate.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the electrode of the present invention
may be prepared as follows.
[0018] First, ultrafine carbon fibers are prepared. Then, a carbon
substrate is formed on a collector by one of the following two
methods. One method is to attach a mat-type ultrafine carbon fiber
obtained above on a collector using a binder. The other method is
to obtain a carbon substrate by grinding the ultrafine carbon fiber
obtained above, adding the ground carbon fiber to a binder
solution, coating the carbon solution on the collector and drying
it to remove a solvent.
[0019] Subsequently, the carbon substrate is dipped in a metal
oxide precursor solution and a metal oxide layer is deposited
thereon when the solution is treated by constant current or cyclic
voltammetry method. The electrode thus prepared is washed and
heat-treated.
[0020] Hereinafter, a method for preparing for supercapacitor
according to the present invention will be described specifically
in stages.
Preparation of Ultrafine Carbon Fiber
[0021] First, an ultrafine carbon fiber is prepared by
electrospinning a melt or a solution of a carbon fiber-precursor
polymer, followed by carbonizing. The ultrafine carbon fiber may be
a graphitical carbon fiber, a graphitical carbon or a carbon
nanotube having a high electric conductivity.
[0022] Examples of the precursor polymer of the carbon fiber are 1)
petroleum pitch or coal pitch, 2) polyacrylonitrile or
polyacrylonitrile copolymers, 3) cellulose or cellulose
derivatives, and 4) halogenated polymers. The halogenated polymers
include, for instance, i) homopolymers and copolymers of
fluoropolymers comprising poly(vinylidene fluoride),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-tetrafluoroethylene),
poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) and perfluoropolymer;
ii) homopolymers and copolymers of halogenated monomers comprising
poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinylidene chloride),
poly(vinylidenechloride-co-vinylchloride) and saran polymer; and
iii) a mixture thereof.
[0023] In addition, the present invention provides a method for
preparing an ultrafine polymer fiber having a high specific surface
area and a good electric conductivity by electrospinning. When a
low-viscosity liquid is sprayed under a high critical voltage
electric field, an aerosol consisting of submicron droplets having
a narrow size distribution may be obtained. This phenomenon is
called electrostatic spray or electrospray, which has been the
subject of intense interests in the academic and industrial
sectors. In contrast to the behavior of a low viscosity liquid
during electrospraying, a viscous polymer solution or a polymer
melt forms fibers when subjected electrospray under a high voltage
electrostatic force. Thus, in order to distinguish from the
electrospraying of a low viscosity liquid which leads to the
formation of ultrafine liquid droplets, the electrostatic spraying
of a high viscosity liquid such as a polymer melt to form fibers is
called electrostatic spinning or electrospinning.
[0024] The electrospinning employed in the present invention may be
designed such that an inert gas or air can be injected together
with the liquid through an electrospinning nozzle in a manner
similar to a melt-blown method in order to increase the
productivity.
[0025] Although an ungraphitized carbon is employed as a
conventional electrode material for a supercapacitor (Applied
Physics Letters 83(6), 1216 (2003)), it has the problem that its
specific capacitance becomes drastically lower when used in
high-speed charging and discharging processes. Accordingly, the
present invention employs graphitized superfine carbon fibers. That
is, the present invention employs graphitical ultrafine carbon
fibers having a graphitization degree corresponding to d.sub.002 of
0.36 nm or less and a good electric conductivity by electrospinning
a carbon fiber-precursor polymer. Specifically, such ultrafine
carbon fibers having both a good electric conductivity and a high
specific surface area may be prepared by one of the following two
methods.
[0026] First, a melt or a solution of the precursor polymer
containing a graphitization catalyst is electrospun to produce
ultrafine polymer fibers, which are carbonized, followed by
graphitizing under a vacuum or an inert gas environment to produce
porous graphitical ultrafine carbon fibers.
[0027] Graphitical carbon fibers obtained by graphitizing at a high
temperature of 2,000 to 3,000.degree. C. in a conventional method
generally have a low specific surface area of less than several
tens of m.sup.2/g. However, the ultrafine polymer fibers obtained
by electrospinning a melt or a solution of a polymer containing a
graphitization catalyst can undergo graphitization at a low
temperature of 500 to 2,000.degree. C. The graphitical carbon
fibers thus prepared have a d.sub.002 value of 0.36 nm or less and
a specific surface area of 200 m.sup.2/g (BET) or higher. Such
graphitic carbon fibers have a plurality of micropores and
mesopores.
[0028] The graphitization catalyst which may be used in the present
invention is a particular form of a metal selected from the group
consisting of: 1) a transition metal such as Pt, Ru, Cu, Fe, Ni,
Co, Pd, W, Ir, Rh, Sr, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Re and a mixture thereof, 2)
a non-transition metal such as Mg, B, Al and a mixture thereof; 3)
a mixture of Mg and said transition metal. Alternatively, the
catalyst may be one of the compounds of the above transition metals
such as: 1) a metal chloride, e.g., CuCl.sub.2, CoCl.sub.2,
OsCl.sub.3, CrCl.sub.2, VCl.sub.3, TaCl.sub.2, TiCl.sub.4,
(NH.sub.3).sub.6RuCl.sub.3, ZrCl.sub.4, HfCl.sub.4, MnCl.sub.2,
ZnCl.sub.2, FeCl.sub.3, NiCl.sub.2, PdCl.sub.2 and MgCl.sub.2; 2) a
metal nitrate, e.g., Pd(NO.sub.3).sub.2,
(NH.sub.3).sub.4Pt(NO.sub.3).sub.2, Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.3,
Ni(NO.sub.3).sub.2 and Mg(NO.sub.3).sub.2; and 3) an organometallic
compound such as iron acetylacetonate, ferrocene,
Pd-trioctylphosphine and Ni(cyclooctadiene).sub.2, said metal
compounds being capable of forming corresponding metal particles
during the carbonization step.
[0029] As stated above, the graphitical ultrafine carbon fibers
having a high specific surface area and a good electric
conductivity may be prepared by carbonization, followed by
graphitization in a vacuum or an inert gas environment, but such
procedure may also be conducted in the presence of a
C.sub.1-C.sub.10 hydrocarbon gas, wherein the graphitization
catalyst also catalyzes the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or
carbon nanofibers (CNFs) when the hydrocarbon gas is present.
Therefore, the present invention also provides a carbon material
which has a fluffy form of CNTs or CNFs grown on the surface of the
graphitical ultrafine carbon fibers having a high specific surface
area and a good electric conductivity.
[0030] Alternatively, the ultrafine carbon fibers having a high
specific surface area and a good electric conductivity may be
prepared according to a second method which comprises graphitizing
the ultrafine polymer fibers obtained by electrospinning a carbon
fiber-precursor polymer solution containing a carbon black or
carbon nanotubes having a high conductivity uniformly dispersed
therein, in the absence of a graphitization catalyst.
[0031] The ultrafine polymer fibers prepared by one of the two
methods described above may melt and fuse together when exposed to
the carbonization condition. To prevent this problem, a specific
pretreatment step may be conducted prior to the carbonization. That
is, the fibers may be rendered unfusable through exposing to a
dehalogenation step involving a heat treating at a temperature of
300.degree. C. or less, or subjected to chemical treatment with a
strong base.
[0032] Further, the ultrafine carbon fibers prepared by the above
methods may be preferably subjected to an activation process under
an oxidative environment in order to endow more pores thereon,
which is desirable in terms of increasing the specific surface area
and facilitating the process of depositing thereon a metal oxide
thin layer electrochemically. When the carbon fiber-precursor
polymer is a halogenated polymer, a high specific surface area of
hundreds of m.sup.2/g or higher may be achieved without conducting
said activation process, but it is nevertheless preferred to
perform said activation process in the last step of carbonization.
The activation process is preferably conducted at a temperature of
700 to 1,000.degree. C. in an oxidative environment containing
carbon dioxide or steam.
[0033] The ultrafine carbon fiber prepared by the method described
above has a diameter ranging from 1 to 3,000 nm, preferably from 1
to 1,000 nm. Further, the ultrafine carbon fibers preferably have a
high specific surface area of 200 m.sup.2/g (BET) or more and a
d.sub.002 value of 0.36 nm or less, and thus, the inventive fibers
have both a high specific surface area and a good electric
conductivity.
Preparation of Carbon Substrate
[0034] Subsequently, a carbon substrate is formed on a collector
using the ultrafine carbon fibers obtained above.
[0035] The collector may be composed of a metal selected from the
group consisting of titanium, palladium, platinum, stainless steel,
tantalum, and an alloy thereof.
[0036] The subject invention provides the following two alternative
methods for forming a carbon substrate on a collector, which does
not limit the scope of the invention.
[0037] The first method is to employ a mat of the ultrafine carbon
fibers obtained above as a carbon substrate. In this case, the
ultrafine carbon fiber mat is attached on the collector using a
binder.
[0038] The second method involves grinding the ultrafine carbon
fibers to obtain a desired powder form thereof, and mixing the
ground carbon fiber powder with a binder solution to form a mixture
which is coated onto the collector. In this case, a conducting
material may be further added to said mixture.
[0039] The coating may be conducted by a doctor-blade method or an
electrospray method. For example, in case of employing the
electrospray method, the mixture containing the ground ultrafine
carbon fibers and the optional conducting material dispersed
uniformly in the binder solution is discharged at a rate of 5 to
150 .mu.l/min through the spray tip on the collector under an
applied voltage of 5 to 20 kV to form a carbon substrate having a
thickness of 1 to 30 .mu.m on the collector.
[0040] Examples of applicable binders are polyurethane and
polyurethane copolymers comprising polyetherurethane; cellulose
derivatives such as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butylate
and cellulose acetate propionate; polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA);
polymethylacrylate (PMA); polyacryl copolymers; polyvinylacetate
and polyvinylacetate copolymers; polyvinylalcohol (PVA);
polyperfurylalcohol (PPFA); polystyrene and polystyrene copolymers;
polyethyleneoxide (PEO); polypropyleneoxide (PPO) and
polyethyleneoxide copolymers; polypropyleneoxide copolymers;
polycarbonate (PC), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polycaprolactone,
polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylfluoride,
polyvinylidenefluoride and the copolymers thereof; polyamide; and
the like, but are not intended to limit the scope of the
invention.
[0041] Further, examples of the conducting material that can be
used in the above procedure are Super-P, Ketjen black, acetylene
black and vapor grown carbon fibers.
[0042] Further, examples of the solvent usable for preparing the
binder solution are N-methyl-2-pyrrolydone, dimethylacetamide,
dimethylformamide, acetone and ethanol, which does not limit the
scope of the invention.
Formation of Metal Oxide Thin Layer
[0043] In the final step, a metal oxide thin layer is deposited on
the carbon substrate formed on the collector.
[0044] Examples of the metal oxide include ruthenium oxide,
manganese oxide, nickel oxide, vanadium oxide, cobalt oxide,
tungsten oxide, iridium oxide, rubidium oxide, and a mixture
thereof.
[0045] The formation of the metal oxide thin layer for a
high-capacitance capacitor on the carbon substrate may be conducted
by electrochemical deposition employing a solution of a metal oxide
precursor. Specifically, the carbon substrate is dipped in a
solution of a metal oxide precursor, which is deposited on the
carbon substrate by a constant current or cyclic voltammetry
method.
[0046] For instance, the formation of a ruthenium oxide thin layer
is conducted by dipping the carbon substrate in a solution prepared
by dissolving trichlororuthenium hydrate, a ruthenium oxide
precursor, in deionized water to a concentration between 0.005 to
0.1 moles, followed by allowing the precursor to deposit on the
carbon substrate at 30 to 70.degree. C. If necessary, an
electrolyte such as sodium chloride or hydrogen chloride may be
added to said precursor solution. The deposited precursor layer is
preferably heat-treated at a temperature of 150 to 250.degree. C.
for 0.5 to 2 hours to form a ruthenium oxide electrode layer.
[0047] When the metal oxide thin layer is deposited on the carbon
substrate by a constant current method, it is preferred that the
deposition is carried out using a constant applied current density
of 0.5 mA/cm.sup.2 to 10 mA/cm.sup.2 so that the metal oxide is
deposited as a cathode while an electrochemically stable metal such
as platinum or titanium is formed as an anode.
[0048] When a cyclic voltammetry method is employed, a 3-electrode
system is preferably used. In this case, the sweep rate is
preferably adjusted to 10 to 1,000 mV per second, and the amount of
the ruthenium oxide may be controlled depending on the cycle
number. In case of employing this deposition method, the
capacitance thereof changes with the electric potential applied
during the deposition, and the deposition is preferably conducted
at an applied potential of 0.2 to 1.4V relative to the Ag/AgCl
electrode.
[0049] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more
specifically based on Examples. However, the present invention is
not intended to be limited to the following Comparative Examples
and Examples, and many variations of the subject invention
according to the interpretation of the claims are possible.
Comparative Example 1
A Comparative Electrode Obtained Employing a Superactive Carbon
Having a Specific Surface Area of 3,200 m.sup.2/g
[0050] 0.85 g of a superactive carbon having a specific surface
area of 3,200 m.sup.2/g was mixed with 0.05 g of Super-P. Added to
the resulting mixture were 0.1 g of
polyvinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) and 5 ml of
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to form a slurry. The slurry was
coated on a collector using the doctor-blade method, and dried to
obtain a superactive carbon substrate.
[0051] The deposition of a ruthenium oxide thin layer on the
superactive carbon substrate was carried out by cyclic voltammetry
method using an aqueous solution of ruthenium chloride. The
superactive carbon substrate was soaked in 0.05M ruthenium
chloride, and the deposition was carried out by sweeping 10 times
at a voltage of 0.2 to 1.4V relative to an Ag/AgCl electrode at a
sweep rate of 300 mV/sec. The deposited electrode was heat-treated
at 175.degree. C. for 30 minutes.
[0052] FIG. 3a shows the result obtained at a sweep rate of 10
mV/sec, wherein when the sweep direction of an electric potential
was changed, the response current changed rapidly, but, as shown in
FIG. 3b, when the sweep rate was elevated to 500 mV/sec, the change
in the response current became slow. Further, the response current
generally increased with the sweep rate, the incremental increase
in the response current failed to respond to the increasing sweep
rate. Accordingly, the specific capacitance of the electrode of
comparative example 1 decreases disproportionally as the sweep rate
increased.
Comparative Example 2
Electrode Comprising Ruthenium Oxide Deposited on a Carbon Black
Substrate
[0053] 0.9 g of Super-P was ground and added to a polymer solution
containing 0.1 g of PVdF-HFP dissolved in 5 ml of NMP. The
resulting mixture was coated on a titanium collector using the
doctor-blade method to obtain a carbon substrate.
[0054] Ruthenium oxide was deposited on the carbon substrate in the
same way as described in Comparative Example 1.
[0055] The electrode showed a specific capacitance of 410 F/g at a
sweep rate of 10 mV, which is about 50% or less compared to that of
the graphitical ultrafine carbon fiber electrode, and the specific
capacitance of 380 F/g at a sweep rate of 500 mV/sec or more, which
is about 80% or more compared to that of 10 mV/sec.
Example 1
Electrode Comprising Ruthenium Oxide Deposited on a Carbon
Substrate Containing Ground Graphitical Ultrafine Carbon Fibers
1. Preparation of a Carbon Substrate
[0056] 0.85 g of a graphitical ultrafine carbon fiber having a
specific surface area of 430 m.sup.2/g was mixed with 0.05 g of
Super-P. Added to the resulting mixture was the polymer solution
containing 0.1 g of PVdF-HFP dissolved in 5 ml of NMP. The
resulting mixture was coated on a titanium collector using the
doctor-blade method to obtain a carbon substrate. As shown in FIG.
2b, the graphitical carbon fibers having an average diameter of 100
to 200 nm were well mixed with Super-P and PVdF-HFP.
2. Deposition of RuO.sub.2
[0057] The deposition of a ruthenium oxide thin layer on the carbon
substrate was carried out by cyclic voltammetry method using an
aqueous solution of ruthenium chloride. The graphitical carbon
fiber substrate was soaked in 0.05M ruthenium chloride, and the
deposition was carried out by sweeping 10 times at a voltage of 0.2
to 1.4V relative to an Ag/AgCl electrode at a sweep rate of 300
mV/sec. The deposited electrode was heat-treated at 175.degree. C.
for 30 minutes.
[0058] FIGS. 3a and 3b respectively show the results obtained at a
sweep rate of 10 mV/sec and 500 mV/sec, wherein an electrolyte was
1M of an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid and swept in a range of
0 to 1V relative to an Ag/AgCl electrode. Furthermore, as shown in
FIGS. 3a and 3b, the cyclic voltammetry curves of the inventive
electrode had not been changed much, which indicates that the
inventive electrode maintains high specific capacitance at a
high-speed charging and discharging cycle.
[0059] Further, FIG. 4 shows the specific capacitance of the
electrode depending on the rate, as shown in FIG. 4, the specific
capacitance of the inventive electrode was maintained about 77% in
spite of the change of the sweep rate from 10 mV/sec to 500
mV/sec.
Example 2
Electrode Comprising Ruthenium Oxide Deposited on Graphitical
Ultrafine Carbon Fibers Having Carbon Nanofibers Grown Thereon
[0060] An electrode was prepared in the same way as described in
Example 1 by employing ultrafine carbon fibers which have carbon
nanofibers or carbon nanotubes grown on the surface of the
graphitical ultrafine carbon fibers. Added to a polymer solution
containing 0.1 g of PVdF-HFP dissolved in 5 ml of NMP were 0.85 g
of the ultrafine carbon fibers which have carbon nanofibers grown
on the surface and 0.05 g of Super-P. The resulting mixture was
coated on a titanium collector using the doctor-blade method to
obtain a carbon substrate.
[0061] To the resulting carbon substrate, a ruthenium oxide was
deposited in the same way as described in Example 1.
[0062] The electrode was tested as an electrode for a
supercapacitor, and the results were similar to that of Example
1.
Example 3
Electrode Comprising Ruthenium Oxide Deposited on a Carbon Mat
Substrate Made of Graphitical Ultrafine Carbon Fibers
[0063] A carbon substrate was prepared in the same way as described
in Example 1, except that a carbon mat was attached to a collector
without grinding.
[0064] A carbon substrate was prepared by dipping a carbon mat in a
polymer solution containing 0.5 g of PVdF-HFP dissolved in 10 ml of
NMP, and the resulting carbon mat was attached to the surface of a
collector to obtain an electrode.
[0065] The test results were similar to those of Example 1, except
that the specific capacitance of the electrode slightly decreased
due to the increase of resistance caused by a binder.
[0066] While the invention has been described with respect to the
above specific embodiments, it should be recognized that various
modifications and changes may be made to the invention by those
skilled in the art which also fall within the scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
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