Study on Surface Performance of Carbon-Aluminum-Carbon Electrode of Super-Capacitor in Dry WEDM

Abstract

Super-capacitors are new equipments for energy storage，and they have wide application in practice. At present, blanking is used to machining the electrodes of super-capacitor; however, the disadvantages of the method are burrs, electrode collapse. A new method processing electrode of super-capacitor, wire electrical discharge machining in gas (dry WEDM), were presented in this paper, and the electrode surface morphologies were studied utilizing scan electron microscope (SEM). First, the surface morphologies comparison studies of super-capacitor electrodes processed with different method, such as shearing, blanking and dry WEDM etc., were performed, and research results show that the super-capacitor electrode surfaces machined by dry WEDM achieve flat machining surface, and electrode edges do not collapse. Further surface morphology analysis was carried out based on different pulse durations and air pressure, and analysis results indicate that better machining surface can be achieved when suitable pulse duration and gas pressure are selected. Finally, surface energy spectrum analysis of the super-capacitor electrode processed by dry WEDM is performed, and the analysis result show that alumina are formed on the middle of electrode, aluminum foil, which is favored to the performance of super-capacitor.