Showing papers on "Capacitor published in 2016"
TL;DR: The latest progress in supercapacitors in charge storage mechanisms, electrode materials, electrolyte materials, systems, characterization methods, and applications are reviewed and the newly developed charge storage mechanism for intercalative pseudocapacitive behaviour is clarified for comparison.
Abstract: Electrochemical capacitors (i.e. supercapacitors) include electrochemical double-layer capacitors that depend on the charge storage of ion adsorption and pseudo-capacitors that are based on charge storage involving fast surface redox reactions. The energy storage capacities of supercapacitors are several orders of magnitude higher than those of conventional dielectric capacitors, but are much lower than those of secondary batteries. They typically have high power density, long cyclic stability and high safety, and thus can be considered as an alternative or complement to rechargeable batteries in applications that require high power delivery or fast energy harvesting. This article reviews the latest progress in supercapacitors in charge storage mechanisms, electrode materials, electrolyte materials, systems, characterization methods, and applications. In particular, the newly developed charge storage mechanism for intercalative pseudocapacitive behaviour, which bridges the gap between battery behaviour and conventional pseudocapacitive behaviour, is also clarified for comparison. Finally, the prospects and challenges associated with supercapacitors in practical applications are also discussed.
2,698 citations
TL;DR: This Review presents a comprehensive review of the use of ferroelectric polymers, especially PVDF and PVDF-based copolymers/blends as potential components in dielectric nanocomposite materials for high energy density capacitor applications.
Abstract: Dielectric polymer nanocomposites are rapidly emerging as novel materials for a number of advanced engineering applications. In this Review, we present a comprehensive review of the use of ferroelectric polymers, especially PVDF and PVDF-based copolymers/blends as potential components in dielectric nanocomposite materials for high energy density capacitor applications. Various parameters like dielectric constant, dielectric loss, breakdown strength, energy density, and flexibility of the polymer nanocomposites have been thoroughly investigated. Fillers with different shapes have been found to cause significant variation in the physical and electrical properties. Generally, one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanofillers with large aspect ratios provide enhanced flexibility versus zero-dimensional fillers. Surface modification of nanomaterials as well as polymers adds flavor to the dielectric properties of the resulting nanocomposites. Nowadays, three-phase nanocomposites with either combination of fillers...
1,143 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, negative capacitance in a thin epitaxial ferroelectric film was observed to decrease with time, in exactly the opposite direction to which voltage for a regular capacitor should change.
Abstract: The Boltzmann distribution of electrons poses a fundamental barrier to lowering energy dissipation in conventional electronics, often termed as Boltzmann Tyranny. Negative capacitance in ferroelectric materials, which stems from the stored energy of a phase transition, could provide a solution, but a direct measurement of negative capacitance has so far been elusive. Here, we report the observation of negative capacitance in a thin, epitaxial ferroelectric film. When a voltage pulse is applied, the voltage across the ferroelectric capacitor is found to be decreasing with time--in exactly the opposite direction to which voltage for a regular capacitor should change. Analysis of this 'inductance'-like behaviour from a capacitor presents an unprecedented insight into the intrinsic energy profile of the ferroelectric material and could pave the way for completely new applications.
385 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the rational design of new nanostructured LIC electrodes that both exhibit a dominating capacitive mechanism (both double layer and pseudocapacitive) with a diminished intercalation process is reported.
Abstract: Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) are hybrid energy storage devices that have the potential to bridge the gap between conventional high-energy lithium-ion batteries and high-power capacitors by combining their complementary features. The challenge for LICs has been to improve the energy storage at high charge−discharge rates by circumventing the discrepancy in kinetics between the intercalation anode and capacitive cathode. In this article, the rational design of new nanostructured LIC electrodes that both exhibit a dominating capacitive mechanism (both double layer and pseudocapacitive) with a diminished intercalation process, is reported. Specifically, the electrodes are a 3D interconnected TiC nanoparticle chain anode, synthesized by carbothermal conversion of graphene/TiO2 hybrid aerogels, and a pyridine-derived hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped carbon (PHPNC) cathode. Electrochemical properties of both electrodes are thoroughly characterized which demonstrate their outstanding high-rate capabilities. The fully assembled PHPNC//TiC LIC device delivers an energy density of 101.5 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 67.5 kW kg−1 (achieved at 23.4 Wh kg−1), and a reasonably good cycle stability (≈82% retention after 5000 cycles) within the voltage range of 0.0−4.5 V.
325 citations
TL;DR: The rationally designed sandwich-structured polymer nanocomposites are capable of integrating the complementary properties of spatially organized multicomponents in a synergistic fashion to raise dielectric constant, and subsequently greatly improve discharged energy densities while retaining low loss and high charge–discharge efficiency at elevated temperatures.
Abstract: The demand for a new generation of high-temperature dielectric materials toward capacitive energy storage has been driven by the rise of high-power applications such as electric vehicles, aircraft, and pulsed power systems where the power electronics are exposed to elevated temperatures. Polymer dielectrics are characterized by being lightweight, and their scalability, mechanical flexibility, high dielectric strength, and great reliability, but they are limited to relatively low operating temperatures. The existing polymer nanocomposite-based dielectrics with a limited energy density at high temperatures also present a major barrier to achieving significant reductions in size and weight of energy devices. Here we report the sandwich structures as an efficient route to high-temperature dielectric polymer nanocomposites that simultaneously possess high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss. In contrast to the conventional single-layer configuration, the rationally designed sandwich-structured polymer nanocomposites are capable of integrating the complementary properties of spatially organized multicomponents in a synergistic fashion to raise dielectric constant, and subsequently greatly improve discharged energy densities while retaining low loss and high charge-discharge efficiency at elevated temperatures. At 150 °C and 200 MV m(-1), an operating condition toward electric vehicle applications, the sandwich-structured polymer nanocomposites outperform the state-of-the-art polymer-based dielectrics in terms of energy density, power density, charge-discharge efficiency, and cyclability. The excellent dielectric and capacitive properties of the polymer nanocomposites may pave a way for widespread applications in modern electronics and power modules where harsh operating conditions are present.
275 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a four-plate compact capacitive coupler and its circuit model for large air gap distance capacitive power transfer (CPT) is presented, where two plates that are on the same side are placed close to each other to maintain a large coupling capacitance, and they are of different sizes to maintain the coupling between the primary and secondary sides.
Abstract: This paper proposes a four-plate compact capacitive coupler and its circuit model for large air-gap distance capacitive power transfer (CPT). The four plates are arranged vertically, instead of horizontally, to save space in the electric vehicle charging application. The two plates that are on the same side are placed close to each other to maintain a large coupling capacitance, and they are of different sizes to maintain the coupling between the primary and secondary sides. The circuit model of the coupler is presented, considering all six coupling capacitors. The LCL compensation topology is used to resonate with the coupler and provide high voltage on the plates to transfer high power. The circuit model of the coupler is simplified to design the parameters of the compensation circuit. Finite-element analysis is employed to simulate the coupling capacitance and design the dimensions of the coupler. The circuit performance is simulated in LTspice to design the specific parameter values. A prototype of the CPT system was designed and constructed with the proposed vertical plate structure. The prototype achieved an efficiency of 85.87% at 1.88-kW output power with a 150-mm air-gap distance.
269 citations
TL;DR: A review of vanadium-based materials for electrochemical capacitors can be found in this article, which includes synthesis methods, electrochemical performances of the electrode materials and the devices.
244 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the average unit cell volume is seen to increase with increasing DC field and has been interpreted in terms of increasing levels of structural disorder in the system, where the structure becomes ferroelectric with high polarization.
Abstract: Solid-state dielectric energy storage is the most attractive and feasible way to store and release high power energy compared to chemical batteries and electrochemical super-capacitors. However, the low energy density (ca. 1 J cm−3) of commercial dielectric capacitors has limited their development. Dielectric materials showing field induced reversible phase transitions have great potential to break the energy storage density bottleneck. In this work, dense AgNbO3 ceramic samples were prepared successfully using solid state methods. Ferroelectric measurements at different temperatures reveal evidence of two kinds of polar regions. One of these is stable up to 70 °C, while the other remains stable up to 170 °C. The associated transition temperatures are supported by second harmonic generation measurements on poled samples and are correlated with the occurrence of two sharp dielectric responses. The average unit cell volume is seen to increase with increasing DC field and has been interpreted in terms of increasing levels of structural disorder in the system. At a high electric field the structure becomes ferroelectric with high polarization. This field induced transition exhibits a recoverable energy density of 2.1 J cm−3, which represents one of the highest known values for lead-free bulk ceramics.
240 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a self-assembled niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) and peanut shell carbon (PSC) hybrid capacitors were used as anode and cathode materials, respectively.
Abstract: Recently, hybrid ion capacitors which combine the characteristics of batteries and supercapacitors have gained great interests for large-scale energy storage applications. Here, we demonstrated a new hybrid sodium ion capacitor configuration, utilizing the niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) and peanut shell carbon (PSC) as the anode and cathode materials, respectively. The advanced architecture of self-assembled Nb2O5 nanosheets with exceptional sodium ion storage property was obtained by carefully controlling reaction kinetics. A key finding is that the growth mechanism is demonstrated to be a process from one-dimensional nanorods to three-dimensional nanocubes, and further to two-dimensional nanosheets. The resulting Nb2O5 nanosheets//PSC hybrid capacitors deliver an exceptionally high energy density (43.2 Wh kg–1) and high power density (5760 W kg–1) based on the active materials, with a long and stable cycle life (capacity retention: ∼80% at 1280 mA g–1 after 3000 cycles).
234 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, vertically stacked bilayer spinel heterostructures constructed from hierarchical CuCo2O4/MnCo 2O4 on graphite paper were used as highly capable supercapacitor electrodes.
Abstract: Cobaltite systems with spinel structures are promising cathode materials for next-generation high-performance electrochemical capacitors because of their high electrochemical stability. However, increasing the mass loading of active materials without sacrificing the geometry of the nanostructures remains a challenge. In this study, we propose vertically stacked bilayer spinel heterostructures constructed from hierarchical CuCo2O4/MnCo2O4 on graphite paper as highly capable supercapacitor electrodes. A two-step hydrothermal method with post annealing treatment is used in the preparation of the heterostructures. The CuCo2O4/MnCo2O4 electrode delivers a remarkable specific capacitance of 1434 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, considerable high-rate capability (810 F g−1 at 15 A g−1), and an excellent cycling stability, maintaining 81.4% at 10 A g−1 after 5000 cycles. An electrochemical capacitor device operating at 1.6 V is also constructed using CuCo2O4/MnCo2O4 and graphene as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The device shows a high energy density of 42.1 W h kg−1 at a power density of 400 W kg−1, as well as good cycling stability (88.4% retention after 10 000 cycles). The concept of stacking heteronanostructures can potentially enrich the electrochemical performance of metal oxides for next-generation electrochemical capacitors.
233 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that controlling the defect configuration in graphene is critical to overcome a fundamental limitation posed by quantum capacitance and opens new channels for ion diffusion.
Abstract: Defects are often written off as performance limiters. Contrary to this notion, it is shown that controlling the defect configuration in graphene is critical to overcome a fundamental limitation posed by quantum capacitance and opens new channels for ion diffusion. Defect-engineered graphene flexible pouch capacitors with energy densities of 500% higher than the state-of-the-art supercapacitors are demonstrated.
TL;DR: In this article, a direct measurement of negative capacitance in polycrystalline HfO2-based thin films is reported, where decreasing voltage with increasing charge transients are observed in 18 and 27 nm thin Gd:HfO 2 capacitors in series with an external resistor.
Abstract: To further reduce the power dissipation in nanoscale transistors, the fundamental limit posed by the Boltzmann distribution of electrons has to be overcome. Stabilization of negative capacitance in a ferroelectric gate insulator can be used to achieve this by boosting the transistor gate voltage. Up to now, negative capacitance is only directly observed in polymer and perovskite ferroelectrics, which are incompatible with semiconductor manufacturing. Recently discovered HfO2-based ferroelectrics, on the other hand, are ideally suited for this application because of their high scalability and semiconductor process compatibility. Here, for the first time, a direct measurement of negative capacitance in polycrystalline HfO2-based thin films is reported. Decreasing voltage with increasing charge transients are observed in 18 and 27 nm thin Gd:HfO2 capacitors in series with an external resistor. Furthermore, a multigrain Landau–Khalatnikov model is developed to successfully simulate this transient behavior in polycrystalline ferroelectrics with nucleation limited switching dynamics. Structural requirements for negative capacitance in such materials are discussed. These results demonstrate that negative capacitance effects are not limited to epitaxial ferroelectrics, thus significantly extending the range of potential applications.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new dc/dc converter is proposed which can produce boosted multiple dc link voltages by using the novel switched-capacitor converter (SCC) and with reduced number of switches.
Abstract: In this paper, initially a new dc/dc converter is proposed which can produce boosted multiple dc link voltages by using the novel switched-capacitor converter (SCC) and with reduced number of switches. In the proposed SCC, voltage of all capacitors is charged by binary asymmetrical pattern as self-balancing and without using any auxiliary circuits. The proposed SCC will boost the input dc power supply voltage without transformer by switching the capacitors in series and in parallel. Next, a new single phase switched-capacitor multilevel inverter (SCMLI) topology which uses the proposed SCC units as virtual dc links have been proposed. The proposed topologies reduce the number of power switches, diodes, isolated dc power supplies, size, and the cost of the system in comparison with conventional similar topologies. For example, by contribution of proposed SCMLI structure, 49 and 137 output voltage levels are made by only 14 and18 power switches and 3 and 4 isolated dc power supplies, respectively. To confirm the performance of proposed topology, various simulation results by PSCAD/EMTDC software and experimental tests are given.
TL;DR: A new structure for switched-capacitor multilevel inverters (SCMLIs) which can generate a great number of voltage levels with optimum number of components for both symmetric and asymmetric values of dc-voltage sources is presented.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a new structure for switched-capacitor multilevel inverters (SCMLIs) which can generate a great number of voltage levels with optimum number of components for both symmetric and asymmetric values of dc-voltage sources. The proposed topology consists of a new switched-capacitor dc/dc converter (SCC) that has boost ability and can charge capacitors as self-balancing by using the proposed binary asymmetrical algorithm and series–parallel conversion of power supply. The proposed SCC unit is used in new configuration as a submultilevel inverter (SMLI) and then, these proposed SMLIs are cascaded together and create a new cascaded multilevel inverter (MLI) topology that is able to increase the number of output voltage levels remarkably without using any full H-bridge cell and also can pass the reverse current for inductive loads. In this case, two half-bridge modules besides two additional switches are employed in each of SMLI units instead of using a full H-bridge cell that contribute to reduce the number of involved components in the current path, value of blocked voltage, the variety of isolated dc-voltage sources, and as a result, the overall cost by less number of switches in comparison with other presented topologies. The validity of the proposed SCMLI has been carried out by several simulation and experimental results.
TL;DR: In this paper, the electrical double-layer structure of silica-electrolyte interfaces that control capacitance was revealed. But the authors did not reveal the double layer structure of the capacitors themselves.
Abstract: Double-layer capacitors can be used to harness wind and solar energy, and now new measurements reveals the electrical double-layer structure of silica-electrolyte interfaces that controls capacitance.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report subthreshold swings as low as 8.5 mV/decade over as high as eight orders of magnitude of drain current in short-channel negative capacitance FinFETs with gate length $L_{g}=100$ nm.
Abstract: We report subthreshold swings as low as 8.5 mV/decade over as high as eight orders of magnitude of drain current in short-channel negative capacitance FinFETs (NC-FinFETs) with gate length $L_{g}=100$ nm. NC-FinFETs are constructed by connecting a high-quality epitaxial bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) ferroelectric capacitor to the gate terminal of both n-type and p-type FinFETs. We show that a self-consistent simulation scheme based on Berkeley SPICE Insulated-Gate-FET Model:Common Multi Gate model and Landau–Devonshire formalism could quantitatively match the experimental NC-FinFET transfer characteristics. This also allows a general procedure to extract the effective $S$ -shaped ferroelectric charge–voltage characteristics that provides important insights into the device operation.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new method is proposed to optimally design the passive damping circuit for the LCL filters and LCL with multituned LC traps, which simplifies the iterative design of the overall filter while ensuring the minimum resonance peak with a lower damping capacitor and a lower rated resistor.
Abstract: Harmonic stability problems caused by the resonance of high-order filters in power electronic systems are ever increasing. The use of passive damping does provide a robust solution to address these issues, but at the price of reduced efficiency due to the presence of additional passive components. Hence, a new method is proposed in this paper to optimally design the passive damping circuit for the LCL filters and LCL with multituned LC traps. In short, the optimization problem reduces to the proper choice of the multisplit capacitors or inductors in the high-order filter. Compared to existing design procedures, the proposed method simplifies the iterative design of the overall filter while ensuring the minimum resonance peak with a lower damping capacitor and a lower rated resistor. It is shown that there is only one optimal value of the damping resistor or quality factor to achieve a minimum filter resonance. The passive filters are designed, built, and validated both analytically and experimentally for verification.
TL;DR: A fractionated dipole antenna is presented: a dipole where the legs are split into segments that are interconnected by capacitors or inductors.
Abstract: PURPOSE: Dipole antennas in ultrahigh field MRI have demonstrated advantages over more conventional designs. In this study, the fractionated dipole antenna is presented: a dipole where the legs are split into segments that are interconnected by capacitors or inductors. METHODS: A parameter study has been performed on dipole antenna length using numerical simulations. A subsequent simulation study investigates the optimal intersegment capacitor/inductor value. The resulting optimal design has been constructed and compared to a previous design, the single-side adapted dipole (SSAD) by simulations and measurements. An array of eight elements has been constructed for prostate imaging on four subjects (body mass index 20-27.5) using 8 × 2 kW amplifiers. RESULTS: For prostate imaging at 7T, lowest peak local specific-absorption rate (SAR) levels are achieved if the antenna is 30 cm or longer. A fractionated dipole antenna design with inductors between segments has been chosen to achieve even lower SAR levels and more homogeneous receive sensitivities. CONCLUSION: With the new design, good quality prostate images are acquired. SAR levels are reduced by 41% to 63% in comparison to the SSAD. Coupling levels are moderate (average nearest neighbor: -14.6 dB) for each subject and prostate B1+ levels range from 12 to 18 μT.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a simple, cost-effective, and efficient brushless dc motor drive for solar photovoltaic (SPV) array-fed water pumping system.
Abstract: This paper proposes a simple, cost-effective, and efficient brushless dc (BLDC) motor drive for solar photovoltaic (SPV) array-fed water pumping system. A zeta converter is utilized to extract the maximum available power from the SPV array. The proposed control algorithm eliminates phase current sensors and adapts a fundamental frequency switching of the voltage source inverter (VSI), thus avoiding the power losses due to high frequency switching. No additional control or circuitry is used for speed control of the BLDC motor. The speed is controlled through a variable dc link voltage of VSI. An appropriate control of zeta converter through the incremental conductance maximum power point tracking (INC-MPPT) algorithm offers soft starting of the BLDC motor. The proposed water pumping system is designed and modeled such that the performance is not affected under dynamic conditions. The suitability of proposed system at practical operating conditions is demonstrated through simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink followed by an experimental validation.
TL;DR: In this paper, a hybrid Li-ion capacitor with a bulk graphdiyne (GDY) anode and an activated carbon (AC) cathode was constructed, achieving an initial specific energy as high as 112.2 Wh−h−kg−1 at a power density of 400.
TL;DR: The EFR method, similar to the four-coil configuration of the magnetic field resonance wireless power transfer, is proposed for the capacitive coupling power transfer and a dynamic charging concept for railway vehicles is proposed.
Abstract: In this paper, the electric field resonance (EFR) method, similar to the four-coil configuration of the magnetic field resonance wireless power transfer, is proposed for the capacitive coupling power transfer. The characteristics of the proposed method are derived and analyzed. With the EFR method, not only unity power factor for the power source is achieved, but also high power factor and low reactive power for the capacitive coupling stage are achieved. Effective power transfer is realized by the EFR method. Based on the proposed method, a dynamic charging concept for railway vehicles is then proposed. A prototype powering system is designed and built to prove the validity of the proposed method. Analytical, simulation, and experimental results are given and compared. A 23-cm model vehicle is put on a 150-cm track. It is shown that about 700-W power is transferred through a 24-pF coupling capacitor. The proposed method reaches 91% dc–dc overall efficiency at switching frequency 2 MHz.
TL;DR: In this article, two derivatives of the LCL filter voltage were proposed, based on either second-order or non-ideal generalized integrator, to match the ideal s-function closely.
Abstract: The middle capacitor voltage of an LCL -filter, if fed back for synchronization, can be used for active damping. An extra sensor for measuring the capacitor current is then avoided. Relating the capacitor voltage to existing popular damping techniques designed with capacitor current feedback would however demand a noise-sensitive derivative term. Digital implementation of this derivative term is generally a challenge with many methods presently developed for resolving it. These methods are however still facing drawbacks, which have comprehensively been explained in this paper. Two derivatives are then proposed, based on either second-order or nonideal generalized integrator. Performances of these derivatives have been found to match the ideal “ s ” function closely. Active damping based on capacitor voltage feedback can therefore be realized accurately. Experimental results presented have verified the effectiveness of the proposed derivative, which can similarly be used with other applications, where differentiation is needed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-stage procedure to identify the optimal locations and sizes of capacitors in radial distribution systems is presented. And the proposed procedure is applied to different standard test systems as 34-bus and 85-bus radial distribution system.
Abstract: This study presents a two-stage procedure to identify the optimal locations and sizes of capacitors in radial distribution systems. In first stage, the loss sensitivity analysis using two loss sensitivity indices (LSIs) is employed to select the most candidate capacitors locations. In second stage, the ant colony optimisation algorithm is investigated to find the optimal locations and sizes of capacitors considering the minimisation of energy loss and capacitor costs as objective functions while system constraints are fully achieved. The fixed, practical switched and the combination of fixed and switched capacitors are considered to find the optimal solution. The backward/forward sweep algorithm is developed for the load flow calculations. The proposed procedure is applied to different standard test systems as 34-bus and 85-bus radial distribution systems. In addition, the application of the proposed procedure on a real distribution system of the East Delta Network as a part of the Unified Egyptian Network is used as a test system. Numerical results show the capability of the proposed procedure to find the optimal solution for significant saving in the total cost with more accurate and efficient, competitive compared with other methods in the literature especially with increasing the distribution system sizing.
TL;DR: A novel cascaded seven-level inverter topology with a single input source integrating switched-capacitor techniques is presented, which replaces all the separate dc sources with capacitors, leaving only one H-bridge cell with a real dc voltage source and only adds two charging switches.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel cascaded seven-level inverter topology with a single input source integrating switched-capacitor techniques is presented. Compared with the traditional cascade multilevel inverter, the proposed topology replaces all the separate dc sources with capacitors, leaving only one H-bridge cell with a real dc voltage source and only adds two charging switches. The capacitor charging circuit contains only power switches, so that the capacitor charging time is independent of the load. The capacitor voltage can be controlled at a desired level without complex voltage control algorithm and only use the most common carrier phase-shifted sinusoidal pulse width modulation strategy. The operation principle and the charging–discharging characteristic analysis are discussed in detail. A 1-kW experimental prototype is built and tested to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology.
TL;DR: In this article, a combined inductive and capacitive wireless power transfer (WPT) system with LC-compensated topology for electric vehicle charging application is proposed, and the working principle of the combined circuit topology is analyzed in detail, providing the relationship between the circuit parameters and system power.
Abstract: This paper proposes a combined inductive and capacitive wireless power transfer (WPT) system with LC -compensated topology for electric vehicle charging application. The circuit topology is a combination of the LCC -compensated inductive power transfer (IPT) system and the LCLC -compensated capacitive power transfer (CPT) system. The working principle of the combined circuit topology is analyzed in detail, providing the relationship between the circuit parameters and the system power. The design of the inductive and capacitive coupling is implemented by the finite-element analysis. The equivalent circuit model of the coupling plates is derived. A 3.0-kW WPT system is designed and implemented as an example of combined inductive and capacitive coupling. The inductive coupler size is 300 mm × 300 mm and the capacitive coupler is 610 mm × 610 mm. The air-gap distance is 150 mm for both couplers. The output power of the combined system is the sum of the IPT and CPT system. The prototype has achieved 2.84-kW output power with 94.5% efficiency at 1-MHz switching frequency, and performs better under misalignment than the IPT System. This demonstrates that the inductive–capacitive combined WPT system is a potential solution to the electric vehicle charging application.
TL;DR: This work introduces a quasi-solid-state sodium ion capacitor based on a battery type urchin-like Na2Ti3O7 anode and a capacitor type peanut shell derived carbon cathode, using a sodium ion conducting gel polymer as electrolyte, achieving high-energy-high-power characteristics in solid state.
Abstract: Simultaneous integration of high-energy output with high-power delivery is a major challenge for electrochemical energy storage systems, limiting dual fine attributes on a device. We introduce a quasi-solid-state sodium ion capacitor (NIC) based on a battery type urchin-like Na2Ti3O7 anode and a capacitor type peanut shell derived carbon cathode, using a sodium ion conducting gel polymer as electrolyte, achieving high-energy-high-power characteristics in solid state. Energy densities can reach 111.2 Wh kg–1 at power density of 800 W kg–1, and 33.2 Wh kg–1 at power density of 11200 W kg–1, which are among the best reported state-of-the-art NICs. The designed device also exhibits long-term cycling stability over 3000 cycles with capacity retention ∼86%. Furthermore, we demonstrate the assembly of a highly flexible quasi-solid-state NIC and it shows no obvious capacity loss under different bending conditions.
TL;DR: A transformerless inverter topology, which is capable of simultaneously solving leakage current and pulsating power issues in grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems, and it is possible to use long-lifetime film capacitors instead of electrolytic capacitors to improve the reliability of the PV system.
Abstract: This paper presents a transformerless inverter topology, which is capable of simultaneously solving leakage current and pulsating power issues in grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. Without adding any additional components to the system, the leakage current caused by the PV-to-ground parasitic capacitance can be bypassed by introducing a common-mode (CM) conducting path to the inverter. The resulting ground leakage current is therefore well controlled to be below the regulation limit. Furthermore, the proposed inverter can also eliminate the well-known double-line-frequency pulsating power that is inherent in single-phase PV systems. By properly injecting CM voltages to the output filter capacitors, the pulsating power can be decoupled from the dc-link. Therefore, it is possible to use long-lifetime film capacitors instead of electrolytic capacitors to improve the reliability of the PV system. The mechanism of leakage current suppression and the closed-loop control of pulsating power decoupling are discussed in this paper in detail. A 500-W prototype was also built and tested in the laboratory, and both simulation and experimental results are finally presented to show the excellent performance of the proposed PV inverter.
TL;DR: An improved circulating current injection method is proposed, which does not completely eliminate the capacitor voltage ripple, but maintains it bounded within reasonable values, leading to converter efficiency improvement and reduction of semiconductor current ratings.
Abstract: Modular multilevel converters (MMC) represent an interesting and emerging topology in medium-voltage motor drive applications. The main challenge of using such a topology in variable-speed drives is the large voltage ripple of submodule capacitors at low speed with constant torque. In this paper, an improved circulating current injection method is proposed, which does not completely eliminate the capacitor voltage ripple, but maintains it bounded within reasonable values. As a result, magnitude of injected circulating current is reduced, leading to converter efficiency improvement and reduction of semiconductor current ratings. Dimensioning of submodule capacitance is also discussed, which is an important consideration when designing the MMCs in variable-speed drives. The proposed method has been successfully validated by simulation and experimental results.
TL;DR: In this article, an analytical and experimental comparison of a two-phase buck converter and a series capacitor buck converter is presented for high-frequency point-of-load voltage regulators with large voltage conversion ratio (10-to-1) is highlighted.
Abstract: This paper presents an analytical and experimental comparison of a two-phase buck converter and a two-phase, series capacitor buck converter. The limitations of a conventional buck converter in high-current (10 A or more), and high-frequency (HF, 3–30 MHz) point-of-load voltage regulators with large voltage conversion ratios (10-to-1) are highlighted. The series capacitor buck converter exhibits desirable characteristics at HF, including lower switching loss, less inductor current ripple, automatic phase current balancing, duty ratio extension, and soft charging of the energy transfer capacitor. Analysis of the topologies indicates that switching loss and inductor core loss can dominate at HF. Results from side-by-side 12 V input, 1.2 V output hardware prototypes demonstrate that the series capacitor buck converter has up to 12 percentage points higher efficiency at 3 MHz and reduces power loss by up to 33% at full load (10 A). Some guidelines for inductor selection are provided, and a switch stress comparison reveals that the maximum converter switch stress is reduced by 30%.
TL;DR: In this article, a thermally driven ion diffusion is used to increase the output voltage with polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSH) film, resulting in a charging behavior without an external power supply.
Abstract: Ubiquitous low-grade thermal energy, which is typically wasted without use, can be extremely valuable for continuously powering electronic devices such as sensors and wearable electronics. A popular choice for waste heat recovery has been thermoelectric energy conversion, but small output voltage without energy-storing capability necessitates additional components such as a voltage booster and a capacitor. Here, a novel method of simultaneously generating a large voltage from a temperature gradient and storing electrical energy without losing the benefit of solid-state no-moving part devices like conventional thermoelectrics is reported. Thermally driven ion diffusion is used to greatly increase the output voltage (8 mV K−1) with polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSH) film. Polyaniline-coated electrodes containing graphene and carbon nanotube sandwich the PSSH film where thermally induced voltage-enabled electrochemical reactions, resulting in a charging behavior without an external power supply. With a small temperature difference (5 K) possibly created over wearable energy harvesting devices, the thermally chargeable supercapacitor produce 38 mV with a large areal capacitance (1200 F m−2). It is anticipated that the attempt with thermally driven ion diffusion behaviors initiates a new research direction in thermal energy harvesting.