Electrical Energy Storage by Supercapacitors

The data presented above depend on the operating conditions - especially the power levels (maximirm crrrrent) and the temperatiue. From the data in Table 4.1, it is clear that the supercapacitor is the best device for electrical energy storage in the transierrt state. It can be used for peak power demands for periods between a few seconds and several tens of seconds. It should be noted that the maximum number of charge/discharge cycles for a supercapacitor is around 500 times greater than the same statistic for a battery. Firrthermore, the supercapacitor can supply or absorb a 

Currently, the most commonly used supercapacitor technology is based on activated carbon for the electrodes and organic electrolyte. 

Supercapacitors are used in many domains vehicles, trains, wind power, telecommunication, etc. In the military domain, supercapacitors are used in submarines (to control water levels in the ballast tanks), and to aid ignition in military vehicles, particularly when the weather conditions are severe (cold). 

Supercapacitors are also used to provide power to open the doors on an Airbus A380 in case of emergency. 

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An example of the effects of the stabihty of carbon chemistry is its impact on the electrochemical performance of carbon electrodes, which is altered by the presence of surface groups [1-3]. Now that the use of carbons as supercapacitors for energy storage has begun to attract interest [4-6], some attention has been devoted to the influence of the surface chemistry of these materials on their capacitance. It was found that surface functionality has a tremendous effect on the electrical double-layer properties and the capacity of the latter for energy storage [7-9]. 

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