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Electrical double layer capacitors based on ideally polarizable nanoporous carbon electrodes in propylene carbonate with the addition of different 1 M Me 3EtNBF 4, Me 2Et 2NBF 4, MeEt 3NBF 4, Et 4NBF 4, Et 3PrNBF 4 and Et 3BuNBF 4 electrolytes have been tested by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance methods. The limits of ideal polarizability, low-frequency limiting capacitance and series resistance, time constant, Ragone plots (energy density vs. power density dependencies) and other characteristics have been discussed. The influence of the electrolyte molar mass on the electrochemical characteristics of the nanoporous carbon electrode cells has been established. The applicability limits of the Srinivasan and Weidner model have been tested.

Abstract.: Electrical double layer and electrochemical characteristics at the nanoporous carbon|acetonitrile interface with additions of Et4NBF4, Et3MeNBF4, EtMe3NBF4, LiClO4, and LiBF4 have been studied by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy methods. A value of zero charge potential, dependent on the structure of the cations as well as on the composition of the anions, the region of ideal polarizability, and other characteristics has been established. Analysis of the complex plane plots shows that the nanoporous carbon|acetonitrile+0.1 M electrolyte (Et4NBF4, Et3MeNBF4, or EtMe3NBF4) interface can be simulated by the equivalent circuit, in which the two parallel conduction parts in the solid and liquid phases are interconnected by the double layer capacitance in parallel with the complex admittance of the hindered reaction of the charge transfer process or of the partial charge transfer (i.e. adsorption stage limited) process. The values of the characteristic frequency depend on the electrolyte composition and on the electrode potential, i.e. on the nature of the ions adsorbed at the surface of the nanoporous carbon electrode. In the region of moderate a.c. frequencies, the modified Randles-like equivalent circuit has been used for simulation of the complex plane plots. In the region of negative surface charge densities, the intercalation process of Li+ ions from LiClO4 and LiBF4 solutions into the surface film is possible and these data can be simulated using the modified Ho et al. model or Meyer et al. model.

We report carbide-derived carbon (CDC) based polymeric actuators for the low-voltage applications. The CDC-based actuators have been designed and fabricated in combination with gold foil. The gold-foil-modified actuators exhibited high frequency response and required remarkably low operating voltage (as low as ±0.25 V). Hot-pressed additional gold layer (thickness 100 nm) ensures better conductivity of polymer supported CDC electrodes, while maintaining the elasticity of actuator. Energy consumption of gold-foil-modified (CDC/gold) actuators increased only at higher frequency values (f > 1 Hz), which is in good correlation with enhanced conductivity and improved charge delivery capabilities. Electrochemical measurements of both actuators performed at small operating frequency values (f < 0.01 Hz) confirmed that there was no difference in consumed charge between conventional CDC and CDC/gold actuators. Due to enhanced conductivity of CDC/gold actuators the accumulated charge increased at higher operating frequency values, while initiating larger dimensional changes. For that reason, the CDC/gold actuators exhibited same deflection rate at much lower potential applied. Electrochemical impedance measurements confirmed that relaxation time constant of gold-foil-modified actuator decreased more than one order of magnitude, thus allowing faster charge/discharge cycles. Gold-foil-modified actuators obtained the strain level of 2.2 % when rectangular voltage ±2 V was applied with frequency 0.5 Hz. The compact design and similar working principle of multi-layered actuator also provides opportunity to use actuator concurrently as energy storage device. From practical standpoint, this device concept can be easily extended to actuator-capacitor hybrid designs for generation of energy efficient actuation.