Toward better porous carbon-based electrodes by investigation of the viscoelastic properties of carbon suspension

Abstract

In this article, an electrode slurry based on activated carbon, which is used to form electrodes of electrochemical capacitors, was assigned to a given group of rheological fluids. The interactions between the textural properties of carbon, the components of the slurry and their impact on the flow nature were explained. Moreover, the viscosity window and optimal ratio between components have been specified, which are necessary to form the right coating on the stainless steel foil as a current collector. The equation that correlates electrode thickness, viscosity, and composition of the slurry (mass of solid materials, solvent, and ratio between components) was obtained by mathematical consideration. Electrochemical measurements were performed to verify the impact of coating quality and thickness on device performance. Finally, the effect of the microstructure formed after slurry preparation and the phenomena accompanying the selected mixing technique are discussed. The paper ends with an economic analysis of electrode slurry production.