# Technology Brief 8: Supercapacitors as Batteries

As recent additions to the language of electronics, the names supercapacitor, ultracapacitor, and nanocapacitor suggest that they represent devices that are somehow different from or superior to traditional capacitors. Are these just fancy names attached to traditional capacitors by manufacturers, or are we talking about a really different type of capacitor?

The three aforementioned names refer to variations on an energy storage device (Fig. TF8-1) known by the technical name electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC), in which energy storage is realized by a hybrid process that incorporates features from both the traditional electrostatic capacitor and the electrochemical voltaic battery.

# Figure TF8-1 Examples of supercapacitors.

Vladimir Zhupanenko/Shutterstock

Figure TF8 1 Full Alternative Text

For the purposes of this Technology Brief, we refer to this relatively new device as a supercapacitor. The battery is far superior to the traditional capacitor with regard to energy storage, but a capacitor can be charged and discharged much more rapidly than a battery. As a hybrid technology, the supercapacitor offers features that are intermediate between those of the battery and the traditional capacitor. The supercapacitor is now used to support a wide range of applications, from motor startups in large engines (trucks, locomotives, submarines, etc.) to flash lights in digital cameras, and its use is rapidly extending into consumer electronics (cell phones, MP3 players, laptop computers) and electric cars (Fig. TF8-2).

# Figure TF8-2 Examples of systems that use supercapacitors.

(a) Metlion/Fotolia

(b) Derek Hatfield/Shutterstock

(c) Car Culture/Getty Images

(d) Artur Synenko/Shutterstock

# Capacitor Energy Storage Limitations

Energy density W′ is often measured in watts-hours per kg (Wh/kg), with 1 Wh=3.6×10 3 joules. Thus, the energy capacity of a device is normalized to its mass. For batteries, W′ extends between about 30 Wh/kg for a lead-acid battery to as high as 150 Wh/kg for a lithium-ion battery. In contrast, W′ rarely exceeds 0.02 Wh/kg for a traditional capacitor. Let us examine what limits the value of W′ for the capacitor by considering a small parallel-plate capacitor with plate area A and separation between plates d. For simplicity, we assign the capacitor a voltage rating of 1 V (maximum anticipated voltage across the capacitor). Our goal is to maximize the energy density W′. For a parallel-plate capacitor C=ε A/d, where ε is the permittivity of the insulating material. Using Eq. (4.121) leads to

W′=W m=1 2 m C V 2=ε A V 2 2 m d(J/kg),

where m is the mass of the conducting plates and the insulating material contained in the capacitor. To keep the analysis simple, we assume that the plates can be made so thin as to ignore their masses relative to the mass of the insulating material. If the material’s density is ρ (kg/m 3), then m=ρ A d and

W′=ε V 2 2 ρ d 2(J/kg).

To maximize W′, we need to select d to be the smallest possible, but we also have to be aware of the constraint associated with dielectric breakdown. To avoid sparking between the capacitor’s two plates, the electric field strength should not exceed E d s, which is the dielectric strength of the insulating material. Among the various types of materials commonly used in capacitors, mica has one of the highest values of E d s, nearly 2×10 8 V/m. Breakdown voltage V br is related to E d s by V br=E d s d, so given that the capacitor is to have a voltage rating of 1 V, let us choose V br to be 2 V, thereby allowing a 50% safety margin. With V br=2 V and E d s=2×10 8 V/m, it follows that d should not be smaller than 10−8 m, or 10 nm. For mica, ε≈6 ε 0 and ρ=3×10 3 kg/m 3. Ignoring for the moment the practical issues associated with building a capacitor with a spacing of only 10 nm between conductors, the expression for energy density leads to W′≈90 J/kg. Converting W′ to Wh/kg (by dividing by 3.6×10 3 J/Wh) gives

W′(max)=2.5×10−2(Wh/kg),

for a traditional capacitor at a voltage rating of 1 V.

The energy storage capacity of a traditional capacitor is about four orders of magnitude smaller than the energy density capability of a lithium-ion battery.

# Energy Storage Comparison

The table in the upper part of Fig. TF8-3 displays typical values or ranges of values for each of five attributes commonly used to characterize the performance of energy storage devices. In addition to the energy density W′, they include the power density P′, the charge and discharge rates, and the number of charge/discharge cycles that the device can withstand before deteriorating in performance. For most energy storage devices, the discharge rate usually is shorter than the charge rate, but for the purpose of the present discussion, we treat them as equal. As a first-order approximation, the discharge rate is related to P′ and W′ by

T=W′P′.

# Figure TF8-3 Comparison of energy storage devices.

Figure TF8 3 Full Alternative Text

Supercapacitors are capable of storing 100 to 1000 times more energy than a traditional capacitor but 10 times less than a battery (Fig. TF8-3). On the other hand, supercapacitors can discharge their stored energy in a matter of seconds when compared with hours for a battery.

Moreover, the supercapacitor’s cycle life is on the order of 1 million when compared with only 1000 for a rechargeable battery. Because of these features, the supercapacitor has greatly expanded the scope and use of capacitors in electronic circuits and systems.

# Future Developments

The upper right-hand corner of the plot in Fig. TF8-3 represents the ideal energy storage device with W′≈100-1000 Wh/kg and P′≈10 3-10 4 W/kg. The corresponding discharge rate is T≈10-100 ms. Current research aims to extend the capabilities of batteries and supercapacitors in the direction of this prized domain of the energy-power space.