Long-Term Reliability Testing of Electric Double-Layer Capacitors

Munekazu AOKI, Kazuhiko SATO, Yoshihiro KOBAYASHI

Summary :

It has been 15 years since we started producing the electric double-layer capacitors (also known as Super Capacitor) in 1978. Over the years we have introduced improvements that increased reliability and increased life. For example, after subjecting capacitors manufactured in 1984 and 1990 to load life tests (70, 5.5 V) for 2,000 hours, we discovered that the rate of change in capacitance (ΔC/C) of capacitors manufactured in 1990 was less than one-half that of capacitors manufactured in 1984. This shows that we have successfully increased the life of our electric double-layer capacitors. We conducted investigations regarding factors that contribute to volume of the electrolyte solution and better sealing properties. In the load life test, we observed that when the ratio of the weights of the electrolyte solution and the powdered activated carbon (hereinafter referred to as LB) was increased, the time it took before ΔC/C reached -30% was lengthened. This means that increasing LB also increases life. Furthermore, we also observed that when the gas permeability rate of the collector's rubber material was decreased in the load life test (70, 5.5 V), the time it took befor (ΔC/C) reached -30% was longer. Therefore life is dependent on the gas permeability rate (sealing property) of the collector rubber.

• Publication: IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Fundamentals Vol.E77-A No.1 pp.208-212
• Publication Date: 1994/01/25
• Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Section on Reliability)
• Category: Evaluation of Reliability Improvement

Authors

Munekazu AOKI
Kazuhiko SATO
Yoshihiro KOBAYASHI

Keyword

electric double-layer capacitor, reliability, electrolyte solution, gas permeability