Stacked High Voltage Al Electrolytic Capacitors Using Zr-Al-O Composite Oxide

Abstract

A stacked high-voltage (900 V) Al electrolytic capacitor made with ZrO2 coated anode foils, which has not been studied so far, is realized and the effects of Zr-Al-O composite layer on the electric properties are discussed. Etched Al foils coated with ZrO2 sol are anodized in 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (MPD)-boric acid electrolyte. The anodized Al foils are assembled with stacked structure to prepare the capacitor. The capacitance and dissipation factor of the capacitor with ZrO2 coated anode foils increase by 41 % and decrease by 50 %, respectively, in comparison with those of Al anode foils. Zr-Al-O composite dielectric layer is formed between separate crystalline ZrO2 with high dielectric constant and amorphous Al2O3 with high ionic resistivity. This work suggests that the formation of a composite layer by coating valve metal oxide on etched Al foil surface and anodizing it in MPD-boric acid electrolyte is a promising approach for high voltage and volume efficiency of capacitors.