University of Kentucky Research Foundation

U.S. Nanocorp, Inc.

Nanocarbons LLC

Stephen M Lipka

Christopher Ray Swartz

Tongsan D Xiao

John R Miller

Jinxiang Dai

David E Reisner

Rudyard Lyle Istvan

An electrode including fluorinated and surface defluorinated coal is described, as well as methods of producing such and employing such within an electrical system. The coal in the electrodes is fluorinated at an amount of between 0.3 and 1.4. The resulting coal products can be further surface defluorinated and maintain functionality within an electrical system.

Fluorinated coal derived carbons and electrodes for use in battery systems and similar

A composition generally includes carbon particles. The particles are prepared by dissolving a carbohydrate-based precursor in water to form a precursor solution and placing the precursor solution in a pressure vessel. The precursor solution is placed in a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel is heated to a reaction temperature to form carbon particles. The carbon particles are subjected to a chemical activation and a physical activation. The composition includes, by weight, about 5% to about 30% oxygen.

Carbon particles

An electrolyte system for a hybrid flow battery has a manganese based anolyte and a manganese based catholyte.

Hybrid flow battery and Mn/Mn electrolyte system

An electrolyte system for a flow battery has an anolyte including [Fe(CN)]and [Fe(CN)]and a catholyte including Feand Fe.

Flow battery

Enhanced methods for preparing activated carbons have been discovered. In order to form an activated carbon, a carbon precursor material is coated with a phosphorus based chemical solution and physically activated. An activated carbon may also be formed by coating a green carbon precursor with a chemical solution that chemically reacts with carbon, carbonizing the resulting material, and physically activating the material during at least a portion of the carbonizing step. An activated carbon may also be formed by milling a carbon material to a predetermined particle size, then activating the milled particles. In another enhancement, an activated carbon is formed by coating a carbon or carbon precursor with nanoparticles, carbonizing if the carbon is a carbon precursor, then catalytically activating in air and an inert gas, and physically activating in steam or carbon dioxide. An activated carbon may also be formed by physically activating a previously chemically activated carbon.

Methods of forming activated carbons

The disclosure relates to asymmetric supercapacitors containing: a positive electrode comprising a current collector and a first active material selected from a layered double hydroxide of formula [MM(OH)]A&#xb7;mHO where Mis at least one divalent metal, Mis at least one trivalent metal and A is an anion of charge n&#x2212;, where x is greater than zero and less than 1, n is 1, 2, 3 or 4 and m is 0 to 10; LiCoO; LiCoNiOwhere x and y are greater than zero and less than 1; LiCoNiMOwhere x and y are greater than zero and less than 1; CoSwhere x is from 1 to 1.5; MoS; Zn; activated carbon and graphite; a negative electrode containing a material selected from a carbonaceous active material, MoOand LiMoO; an aqueous electrolyte solution or a non-aqueous ionic conducting electrolyte solution containing a salt and a salt and a non-aqueous solution; and a separator plate. Alternatively, the electrolyte can be a solid electrolyte.

Asymmetric electrochemical supercapacitor and method of manufacture thereof

Asymmetric supercapacitors comprise: a positive electrode comprising a current collector and a first active material selected from the group consisting of manganese dioxide, silver oxide, iron sulfide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel oxide, lithium iron phosphate, and a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing active materials; a negative electrode comprising a carbonaceous active material; an aqueous electrolyte solution selected from the group consisting of aqueous solutions of hydroxides of alkali metals, aqueous solutions of carbonates of alkali metals, aqueous solutions of chlorides of alkali metals, aqueous solutions of sulfates of alkali metals, aqueous solutions of nitrates of alkali metals, and a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing aqueous solutions; and a separator plate. Alternatively, the electrolyte can be a non-aqueous ionic conducting electrolyte or a solid electrolyte.

An asymmetric supercapacitor has a positive electrode having a current collector an active material selected from the group consisting of manganese dioxide, silver oxide, iron sulfide and mixtures thereof, a negative electrode having a carbonaceous active material carbon and optional current collector, an electrolyte, and a separator plate. In a preferred embodiment at least one of the electrodes has nanostructured/nanofibrous material and in a more preferred embodiment, both electrodes have nanostructured/nanfibrous material. The electrolyte can be liquid or solid although liquid electrolytes are preferred. The asymmetric supercapacitor has improved energy density by electrically coupling an electrode of high faradaic capacity such as one having manganese oxide (MnO) with an electrode such as carbon that stores charge through charge separation at the electric double-layer. The asymmetric supercapacitor also improves power density by using high surface area nanostructured/nanofibrous electrode materials.

Growing community of inventors

Nicholasville, KY, United States of America

Stephen M Lipka