Granted Patent B2

US 9,640,334 · App. 12/657,579 · Granted May 2, 2017

Abstract

Claims (26)

1. A flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell comprising:

(A) a sheet of spacer-modified graphene paper thinner than 1 mm as first electrode, said paper comprising (a) nano graphene platelets having a thickness smaller than 10 nm and (b) discrete, non-continuous, and non-metallic particles, having a size no less than 2 nm, bonded to a surface or both surfaces of said nano graphene platelets as spacer particles to produce electrolyte-accessible pores having a size greater than 2 nm and less than 10 nm and having a specific surface area greater than 100 m 2 /g, and (c) a binder that bonds said nano graphene platelets together and wherein said particles consist of a material selected from the group consisting of metal carbide, metal nitride, metal halide, and combinations thereof and wherein said first electrode has a first specific capacitance C 1 ,

(B) a thin-film first separator thinner than 1 mm and electrolyte;

(C) a thin-film second electrode thinner than 1 mm which is different in composition than the first electrode wherein said second electrode comprises a lithium foil or lithium-intercalated material; and wherein said separator is sandwiched between the first and second electrode to form a flexible laminate configuration;

D) a second separator containing electrolyte, wherein said second separator is in physical contact with said second electrode; and

(E) a third thin-film electrode, having a thickness less than 1 mm, in contact with said second separator and having a second specific capacitance C 2 and wherein the C1/C2 ratio is greater than 3.

2. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electrodes and separator is thinner than 0.1 mm or 100 μm.

3. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 , which cell is used in a battery.

4. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said graphene platelets contain single-layer graphene or graphene oxide.

5. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said third electrode comprises nano graphene platelets having a platelet thickness less than 1 nm and said third electrode has electrolyte-accessible pores.

6. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said electrolyte comprises a room temperature ionic liquid.

7. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said graphene platelets are activated or surface-functionalized.

8. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said graphene platelets are surface-functionalized with one or more transition metal oxides, carbides, or sulfides.

9. A flexible electrochemical capacitor or supercapacitor comprising:

(A) a spacer-modified first thin-film electrode having a thickness lower than 1 mm, comprising (a) nano graphene platelets having a thickness smaller than 1 nm; (b) discrete, non-continuous, and non-metallic particles having a size no less than 2 nm and selected from the group consisting of metal carbides, metal nitrides, metal halides, and combinations thereof, and wherein said particles are bonded to a surface or both surfaces of said nano graphene platelets to produce electrolyte-accessible pores having a size greater than 2 nm but less than 10 nm; and (c) a binder that bonds said nano graphene platelets together, and wherein said first electrode has a specific surface area greater than about 100 m 2 /gm and a first specific capacitance C 1 ;

(B) a second thin-film electrode having a thickness lower than 1 mm, comprising nano graphene platelets and a plurality of interconnected pores accessible by an electrolyte and wherein said second electrode has a specific surface area greater than about 100 m 2 /gm and a second specific capacitance C 2 and wherein the C 1 /C 2 ratio is greater than 3; and

(C) a thin-film or porous electrode separator having a thickness lower than 0.1 mm disposed between the first and second electrodes, said separator comprising said electrolyte.

10. The electrochemical capacitor or supercapacitor of claim 9 wherein said separator comprises cellulose fibers.

11. The electrochemical capacitor or supercapacitor of claim 9 wherein said first electrode comprises a conducting polymer coated on or bonded to at least one of the nano graphene platelets.

12. The electrochemical capacitor or supercapacitor of claim 9 wherein said first electrode comprises a transition metal oxide, carbide, or sulfide coated on or bonded to at least one of the nano graphene platelets.

13. The flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 1 , which cell has a specific energy greater than 30 Wh/kg.

14. The flexible electrochemical cell of claim 9 , which cell has a specific energy greater than 100 Wh/kg.

15. The flexible asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 9 wherein both of said first and second electrodes have spacer-modified nano graphene sheets.

16. The asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said second electrode comprises nano graphene platelets having a platelet thickness less than 1 nm.

17. The asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said electrolyte comprises a room temperature ionic liquid.

18. The asymmetric electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said first electrode further comprises fibrous elements selected from the group consisting of carbon nano-fibers, graphitic nano-fibers, carbon nano-tubes, carbon-graphite fibers, cellulose fibers, glass fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic fibers, metal fibers, and combinations thereof.

Assignments (12)