Supercapacitors

Ease of use for both acquisition and analysis are important to the supercap researcher.  Gamry's powerful, yet intuitive systems make acquiring and analyzing data easy.  Our Sequence Wizard makes it easy to string together experiments.  Our standard cyclic charge/discharge makes it easy to add EIS after a charge or discharge.  Our multisine technique lets you reduce the acquistion time for an EIS experiment.  

The AutofitTM routine takes the guesswork out of analyzing EIS data.  You no longer need to make initial guesses as to your component values to perform a fit to your data.  You can also easily export data for workup in another program or you can easily create plots for papers or presentations.

Supercaps provide a challenge to normal potentiostatic testing in that their response to a voltage step produces theoretically infinite current.  This causes most potentiostats to (however briefly) hit the current rail and stay there until the instrument comes into compliance.  Capacitors in general are also problematic for digital instruments when running, e.g. cyclic voltammetry—an excellent tool for supercap researchers. 

Gamry has tools to work through both problems.  PWR800 potentiostatic experiments (other than CV) operate in a special mode that records all current data, ensuring no fraction of the capacity is lost due to potential steps.  In cyclic voltammetry, Gamry’s surface mode preserves capacitance information (as well Faradaic current from bound species), allowing it to accurately measure supercaps.

Recommended setups

The Interface 1010E is ideal for materials and smaller single cell development.  The Interface 5000 or the Reference 3000 potentiostat can be used for larger cells depending on current needs.  For stacks, the Reference 3000 AE can measure up to eight cells simultaneously.  The Reference 3000 and Reference 3000AE can be interface to the Reference 30K Booster for even higher current applications.  

Researchers studying materials development would benefit greatly from the addition of an eQCM 10M for investigating solvent and ion transfer.