Electrode metal material, capacitor and battery formed of the material and method of producing the material and the capacitor and battery

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode metal material for batteries, capacitors, etc, used in contact with non-aqueous electrolyte, and particularly to a capacitor formed of the electrode metal material, and provides a valve metal material capable of decreasing the internal resistance of the capacitor. The electrode metal material comprises a valve metal material and numerous carbon particles included in the surface of the valve metal material. The carbon particles are further fixed in the surface of the valve metal material so as to expose to the surface. The electrode metal material is coated with an activated carbon layer and used as a double-layer electrode for an electric double-layer capacitor. The carbon particles included in the surface ensure conduction between the activated carbon layer and the valve metal material. With this configuration, even if the surface of the valve metal material is oxidized, the internal resistance of the electrode is not decreased, the internal resistance of the capacitor is decreased, and the capacitance of the capacitor is increased.

Description

[0001] This is a Continuation-In-Part application of Ser. No. 09 / 381,680 filed on Sep. 23, 1999, now abandoned.[0002] The present invention relates to an electrode metal material for electrical components such as capacitors and batteries which are used in contact with electrolyte, to a capacitor and a battery formed of the electrode metal material, and to a method of producing the electrode metal material and the capacitor and battery thereof.PRIOR ART[0003] At present, there are, for example, electric double-layer capacitors and electrolytic capacitors available as electrical components which are used in contact with electrolyte. Such electric double-layer capacitors have been applied to large-capacitance capacitors chargeable at up to about 3 V, and used for backup power sources of microcomputers, memory devices, timers, and the like.[0004] Typically, an electric double-layer capacitor comprises a pair of polarizable electrodes or double-layer electrodes disposed face-to-face via ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This problem due to the oxidation of the metal portion of the electrode has also occurred in the case of the button-type electric double-layer capacitor in the same way.

This causes a problem of the capacitor increasing in internal resistance, just like the problem described above.

Further, since the above non-aqueous electrolytic solution also contains slight amount of water and oxygen, the aluminum foil in the battery have been oxidized on its surface, in use, gradually over long time due to reaction of aluminum surface with water in the electrolytic solution, causing a lithium ion secondary battery to increase in equivalent series resistance, i.e., internal resistance and resulting in low capacity at high discharge rate.

If the area percentage of the carbon is less than 1%, it may be difficult to sufficiently reduce contact resistance at the surface.

However, if the area percentage of the carbon is more than 90%, it becomes difficult to stably hold carbon particles pressed into the surface of the valve metal by a press method.

This results in reduction in equivalent series resistance and capacity loss of batteries.

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