High Energy and Power Electrochemical Device and Method of Making and Using Same

Abstract

An electrolyte is introduced into an electrochemical device, passed, via a first corrugation feature, through a first electrode of the electrochemical device, passed through an ion permeable separator, and contacted with a second electrode. The first or second electrode comprises a second corrugation feature in fluid communication with the first corrugation feature to contact the electrolyte across a portion of an active surface of the first or second electrode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A supercapacitor, having at least one electrode comprising a plurality of corrugation features, wherein the plurality of corrugation features comprise first and second corrugation features, wherein the first and second corrugation features are configured to establish fluid communication between the plurality of first and second corrugation features when an electrolyte contacts the plurality of corrugation features. 
     
     
         2 . The supercapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein the first corrugation feature comprises one or more perforations, voids, apertures, cavities and holes and the second corrugation feature comprises a plurality of channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature, wherein the depth of the first corrugation feature is a thickness of the electrode, wherein the electrochemical device electrode has an active surface, wherein at least about 0.1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 50% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, and wherein the first and second corrugation features are formed by one or more of a machining process, chemical deposition, physical deposition, masking, and etching. 
     
     
         3 . The supercapacitor of  claim 2 , wherein at least about 1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 45% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein the second corrugation feature comprises a plurality of channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature, wherein the plurality of channels and/or grooves define a pattern, wherein the pattern is a grid comprising first channels and/or grooves substantially parallel to one another and second channels and/or grooves substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the first channels and/or grooves are transverse to and intersect the second channels and/or grooves. 
     
     
         4 . The supercapacitor of  claim 2 , wherein at least about 10% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 40% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, and wherein the second corrugation feature comprises a plurality of channels and/or grooves extending radially outwardly from the first corrugation feature. 
     
     
         5 . The supercapacitor of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one electrode is an anode or cathode, wherein the first corrugation feature has a width of at least about 1 micron, and wherein the first corrugation feature extends through a thickness of the electrode, wherein the second corrugation feature has an average, mean and/or mode width or depth of at no more than about 1 millimeter. 
     
     
         6 . The supercapacitor of  claim 5 , wherein the second corrugation feature has an average, mean and/or mode width or depth of at least about 10 microns. 
     
     
         7 . The supercapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrode comprises multiple electrodes stacked one-above-the-other or wrapped one-about-the-other, each of the multiple electrodes comprises the first and second corrugation features, wherein an ion permeable separator is positioned between each pair of adjacent electrodes, wherein the first corrugation features are aligned relative to one another to define a passage for the electrolyte through the multiple electrodes, wherein the first corrugation feature has a width of at least about 50 microns, and wherein the first corrugation feature extends through a thickness of the electrode, wherein the second corrugation feature has an average, mean and/or mode width or depth of at least about 15 microns. 
     
     
         8 . The supercapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein the corresponding first or second electrode comprises a plurality of first corrugation features and a plurality of second corrugation features and wherein one or more of the following are true:
 (i) the plurality of second corrugation feature have a sufficient average width to establish the fluid communication between the first and second corrugation features in no more than about one second; and   (ii) the first corrugation feature has a sufficient average diameter to establish the fluid communication between the first and second corrugation features in no more than about one second.   
     
     
         9 . The supercapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein the supercapacitor chosen from the group consisting of a double-layer capacitor, electrochemical pseudocapacitor, and a hybrid capacitor. 
     
     
         10 . A supercapacitor comprising:
 a first electrode; and   a second electrode, wherein one or both of the first and second electrode comprise a plurality of corrugation features comprising first and second corrugation features, wherein the first and second corrugation features are configured to establish fluid communication between the plurality of first and second corrugation features when an electrolyte comprising a fluid contacts the plurality of corrugation features.   
     
     
         11 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first corrugation features is aligned substantially with at least one of the second corrugation features to form at least one passage to enable the electrolyte to flow freely through one or both of the first and second electrode. 
     
     
         12 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , further comprising an ion separator positioned between the first and second electrodes, wherein the ion separator comprises a plurality of passages extending through the separator to enable the electrolyte to flow freely through the ion separator. 
     
     
         13 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , wherein the first corrugation feature comprises one or more perforations, voids, apertures, cavities and holes and the second corrugation feature comprises plural channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature, wherein the depth of the first corrugation feature is a thickness of the corresponding first or second electrode, wherein at least about 0.1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 50% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, and wherein the first and second corrugation features are formed by one or more of a machining process, chemical deposition, physical deposition, masking, and etching. 
     
     
         14 . The supercapacitor of  claim 13 , wherein at least about 1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 45% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein the second corrugation feature comprises plural channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature, wherein the plural channels and/or grooves define a pattern, wherein the pattern is a grid comprising first channels and/or grooves substantially parallel to one another and second channels and/or grooves substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the first channels and/or grooves are transverse to and intersect the second channels and/or grooves. 
     
     
         15 . The supercapacitor of  claim 13 , wherein at least about 10% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 40% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, and wherein the second corrugation feature comprises plural channels and/or grooves extending radially outwardly from the first corrugation feature. 
     
     
         16 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , wherein one of the first or second electrode is stacked on the other of the first or second electrode or wrapped around the other of the first or second electrode, each of the first and second electrode comprising first and second corrugation features, wherein an ion permeable separator is positioned between the first and second electrode, wherein first corrugation features are aligned relative to one another to define a passage for the electrolyte through the first and second electrode, wherein the first corrugation feature has a width of at least about 50 microns, and wherein the first corrugation feature extends through a thickness of the electrode, wherein the second corrugation feature has an average, mean and/or mode width or depth of at least about 15 microns. 
     
     
         17 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , wherein the corresponding first or second electrode comprises a plurality of first corrugation features and a plurality of second corrugation features and wherein one or more of the following are true:
 (i) the plurality of second corrugation feature have a sufficient average width to establish the fluid communication between the first and second corrugation features in no more than about one second; and   (ii) the first corrugation feature has a sufficient average diameter to establish the fluid communication between the first and second corrugation features in no more than about one second.   
     
     
         18 . The supercapacitor of  claim 10 , wherein the capacitor is a supercapacitor chosen from the group consisting of a double-layer capacitor, electrochemical pseudocapacitor, and a hybrid capacitor. 
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 introducing an electrolyte comprising a fluid into a supercapacitor comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein one or both of the first and second electrode comprise a plurality of corrugation features comprising first and second corrugation features;   passing, via the first corrugation feature, the electrolyte through the first electrode; and   contacting at least a portion of the electrolyte with the second electrode to establish fluid communication between the first or second electrodes, wherein the established fluid communication between the first and second electrodes is through the first and second corrugation features.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first corrugation feature comprises one or more perforations, voids, apertures, cavities and holes and the second corrugation feature comprises plural channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature, wherein the depth of the first corrugation feature is less than or equal to a thickness of the first electrode, wherein the second corrugation feature is selected from the group consisting essentially of grooves or channels in a waffle-type pattern, channels radially diverging from the first corrugation feature, and combinations thereof, wherein at least about 0.1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 50% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, and wherein the first and second corrugation features are formed by one or more of a machining process, chemical deposition, physical deposition, masking, and etching. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein at least about 1% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein no more than about 45% of the active surface comprises or is part of the first and/or second corrugation feature, wherein the second corrugation feature comprises plural channels and/or grooves extending outwardly from the first corrugation feature. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first electrode comprises a plurality of first corrugation features and a plurality of second corrugation features and wherein one or more of the following are true:
 (i) the plurality of second corrugation features have a sufficient average width to establish the fluid communication between the first and second electrodes in no more than about one second; and   (ii) the plurality of first corrugation feature have a sufficient average diameter to establish the fluid communication between the first and second electrodes in no more than about one second.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein prior to the introducing step the battery is devoid of the electrolyte, wherein the introducing step is initiated by an activation mechanism selected from the group consisting of manual, automated, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and any combinations thereof.