Bernard Kim Rose Hills
Interfacial Contributions to the Electrochemical Performance of a Printed Supercapacitor
Supercapacitors have emerged as an attractive option to augment batteries in small electronic devices by providing the large power draws over short periods of time that would otherwise reduce the cycle life and health of the battery. Printing provides a cost-effective manufacturing method for uniform process control of individual components as well as for total device integration. Although ionic liquid supercapacitors have been successfully printed, there exists much room for improvement at the electrode interfaces with both the electrolyte and the current collector. The porous electrodes interfacial structure must be tailored to the specific electrolytic ions and current collector used to optimize electrochemical performance and minimize ohmic losses, but this structure is highly dependent on the electrodes composition and the involved printing processes. My research will focus on optimizing the electrodes and electrode interfaces produced through dispenser printing processes to improve the overall integration and electrochemical performance of the printed supercapacitor.
Message To Sponsor
I am extremely grateful to the SURF/Rose Hills program and the Rose Hills Foundation for providing me this opportunity to continue to pursue my research this summer. Their support will allow me to completely immerse myself in a topic I am passionate about and will give me invaluable experience that will undoubtedly support my future endeavors in graduate school and beyond. This upcoming summer and year, I hope to more fully understand the current issues surrounding current energy storage and create viable real-life solutions to these issues.