Patents on Electrode Materials

Carbon materials are widely used across electrochemical systems such as batteries, fuel cells, and ESs and are of research interest in both academic and industrial settings. A tremendous number of patents claim their preparation and production procedures, including the variables of carbon precursors, carbonization, and possible activation methods at various incremental temperature rates, exposure times, and repeatable steps. 

One noted patent presented by the U.S. Department of Energy (US 6,299,850 Bl) describes an activation method for the carbonization of a pol5dmide or other polymeric material in which an aqueous HNO3 oxidizing agent followed by multiple thermal treatments is used. The resulting activated carbon material possesses a high volumetric capacitance of 300 F/cm. Several commercial firms developed similar proprietary methods in the s)mthesis of activated carbon. 

Since the early 1990s, activation processes have expanded to include fibrous materials to enhance accessible surface area, for example, carbon precursor polyacrylonitrile and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) used to develop fibers for use in electrodes. Carbon aerogels were also demonstrated by the U.S. military to enhance capacitance through electropolymerization of various electroactive polymers [polyaniline, polyarylamine, polypyrrolepoly(o-methoxyaniline)]. The production of thin polymer films ( 10 nm), particularly with poly(-methoxyaniline), produces a negligibly changed porosity considered responsible for improved performance. 

Advancements in nanomaterials have yielded recent patents that focus on single walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene 

Survey of Patents for Use as Electrode Materials in Electrochemical Capacitors 

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