1998 Product of the Year Award Winner
Portable electronics get more
efficient with ultracapacitor
Portable products are becoming increasingly smaller and light-weight,
with more features packed into tighter spaces, and often needing repeated
bursts of power. However, sizing batteries for peak power requirements
often compromises a product's desired space and weight specifications.
The PowerCache ultracapacitor offers a new energy storage solution for
such applications.
One of the first in the PowerCache ultracapacitor series,
the 8-F PC223 enables an increase in battery life of up to
four times, or a reduction in battery size of up to 75% in
portable devices requiring bursts of power.
The PowerCache is a double-layer capacitor incorporating a unique metal-carbon
electrode and an advanced nonaqueous electrolytic solution. As a potential
is applied across the terminals, ions migrate to the high-surface-area
electrodes. The combination of available surface area and proximity to
the current collector provide an ultrahigh capacitance for this process.
There are numerous advantages to using an ultracapacitor for managing
peak power requirements and a battery for continuous low power. Sizing
the battery for energy rather than power frees space for adding new features.
Using the battery only for low-power requirements will also allow the use
of lower-cost battery technologies.
With a capacitance of 8 F, the PC223, one of the first in the series,
enables an increase in battery life of up to four times, or a reduction
in battery size of up to 75% in devices requiring bursts of power. Roughly
the size of a postage stamp and 4.2 mm thick, the PC223 stores 21 J at
a nominal 2.3 V for high-powered discharges ranging from a fraction of
a second to a minute. Ultracapacitors are currently available with energy
storage of up to 150,000 J. (Under $10 ea/large qty–available now.)
Maxwell Energy Products
San Diego, CA
Jim Nickerson 619-576-7729
Fax 619-576-7672
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