[LyleL]

"We call this technology lightning in a bottle," he said.

Istvan said he has found a low-cost process to convert rayon into activated nanocarbon with double the charge capacity of what is available today. He has university researchers in Kentucky making small amounts of product for supercapacitor manufacturers to test.

"The industry's goal has been to double energy density and halve the cost," Istvan said. "We've met that goal."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-tech-notebook-nanocarbonjul14,0,5029480.story

 

[swimdad623]

"We call this technology lightning in a bottle," he said.

Istvan said he has found a low-cost process to convert rayon into activated nanocarbon with double the charge capacity of what is available today. He has university researchers in Kentucky making small amounts of product for supercapacitor manufacturers to test.

"The industry's goal has been to double energy density and halve the cost," Istvan said. "We've met that goal."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-tech-notebook-nanocarbonjul14,0,5029480.story

I'd love to see a success in this area, but I haven't seen anything yet. Whether it's this one, or Maxwell, or EEstor, a number of companies have made annoucements for "revolutionary supercapacitors" that will put the battery people out of business. Nobody has successfully made one yet.

I'd love to see it happen. Even more, I'd love to see someone build just one of them and send it out for independent verification.

 

[Jason M. Hendler]

Great find, thanks for posting ...

 

[lkruijsw]

High surface ultra-capacitors

The physics of EEstor is disputed, but the physics of ultra-capacitors with high internal surface is not disputed.

Besides the group mentioned in previous posting, the company 'Reticle Carbon' is working on it:

http://www.reticlecarbon.com/

But also a group on MIT:

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/print/5636

These are all based on the same physics. So, if EEstor fails, this path can still be followed.

It is questionable whether the density will be sufficient for cars, but it can work for storing wind and solar power. It reduces cost, because of the unlimited lifetime.

Lucas

 

[LyleL]

Japanese ultracapacitors detailed in science news program

This video appears to be a Japanese science news program that is detailing ultracapacitor developments in Japan. I don't understand Japanese and can only guess at what's being said. They hold up a small package that looks like a lithium battery but I think it's really an untracapacitor unit. They show as converted car and a large diesel truck. Diagrams indicate gathering electricity from the sun and then charging multiple cars, I'm assuming the ultracaps are being used as the storage medium. They show a picture of a box in a building I think was attached to a solar array and flashed on the screen something like 10kwh. At the end of the program, the news anchor opens a small vial and dumps it on the desk, out comes a black power (carbon nanotubes???) and then he lays down two flat flexible sheets that appear to be made from the black power. It' approximately a 15 min video.

Anyone understand Japanese and can fill us in on whether Japan has some great advancements in ultra cap technology?

Thanks!


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x65xr6_ultracapacitor-google-nbspvideo_tech

 

[darthvader420]

At the end of the program, the news anchor opens a small vial and dumps it on the desk, out comes a black power (carbon nanotubes???) and then he lays down two flat flexible sheets that appear to be made from the black power.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x65xr6_ultracapacitor-google-nbspvideo_tech

Carbon nanotubes are both very valuable and a potential health threat so I hope it was something else!

Got my fingers crossed for the japanese speaking general motors fan to come on by.

 

[Jason M. Hendler]

Carbon nanotubes are both very valuable and a potential health threat so I hope it was something else!

Got my fingers crossed for the japanese speaking general motors fan to come on by.

True - it sounds as if nanotubes are the new asbestos. As long as the material is contained in a closed cell battery, and recycled properly, it would be perfectly safe.

 

[darthvader420]

I think that video was talking about the Honda FCX hydrogen car, which uses ultracapacitors as a buffer between the fuel cell and the motor. They're leasing a couple hundred of them in the states for $600/month and they cost millions to make. I was hoping the video would be about a magical Eestor-like ultracapacitor but what can you do.

 

[drivin98]

LyleL: I think you got the gist of what was going on pretty much. It seems as though they still can't beat the li-ion battery for energy density, though power desity is good. This makes it decent for stationary applications like buffering intermittant energy generation sources but still lousy for vehicles. Though, if the price was right, an ultracapacitor incorporated into a Volt-like concept could greatly increase battery life and energy capture from regeneration under braking.

Also, the powder was nano-sized tungsten, not carbon nanotubes. He was showing them what was inside the ultracapacitor.