top 50 electronic components distributors say that according to a study by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, A new class of polysulfate compounds can form thin, flexible films with properties that could make it the material of choice for many high-performance electronic components.
In the study, published January 18 in Joule, the scientists found that the new polysulfate can be used to create polymer-film capacitors that can store and release high-density electrical energy while tolerating temperatures and electric fields that exceed the limits of existing polymer-film capacitors.
"Our results suggest that energy storage capacitors and other devices based on these novel polysulfates could be used in a wide range of applications, including in electric vehicle powertrains," said co-senior author of the study Peng Wu, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research Institute.
Specifically, they used a new technique called sulphur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reaction, which allows the synthesis of many previously unavailable polysulfates. Some of them have superior "dielectric" properties. Dielectric materials are electrical insulators that, when exposed to an electric field, separate positive and negative charges, effectively storing energy. They are used in capacitors, transistors and various components in modern electronic circuits.
Many of the dielectric materials currently in use are light, flexible, plastic-like materials called polymers. The new polysulfates are also polymers, but with much improved properties compared to commercial dielectric polymers.
The team found that capacitors made from a new type of polysulfate, when reinforced with aluminum oxide films, can release a high density of energy while at the same time withstand ultra-high electric fields (over 700 million volts per meter) and temperatures (150 degrees Celsius), which normally would destroy the most widely used polymer film capacitors today.
The researchers note that the thermal sensitivity of standard polymer capacitors often requires costly and cumbersome cooling measures in the systems where they are used, such as in some electric vehicle models. As a result, adopting the new polysulfate medium could lead to cheaper, simpler and more durable power systems in electric vehicles and many other applications, they say.
"The polysulfate polymers we detected in this study work well at 150 degrees Celsius, but we think we can find better polysulfates that can work at 200 to 250 degrees Celsius with little or no loss of function," the researchers said.