How To Make A Basic Supercapacitor

Supercapacitors are amazing devices that are known for their incredible power density. But the ones on the market aren't as energy dense as is required for them to out compete lithium batteries. In this video we explore all of the basics of supercapacitor building, from making electrode paints, to selection of current collectors, to measuring the completed cells.
While we only build a very simple cell in the video, the same basic recipe is useful for a variety of chemistries, including those that use graphene and carbon nanotubes.
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[@thethoughtemporium]

Question: I tried no music for this video as there were complaints about it in previous videos. What do you think? Should I keep the music, or is musicless better?

[@Falcodrin]

The Thought Emporium I think this was nice. If you want some cool music maybe in the end screen or as an intro would be nice.

[@William_Hada]

The Thought Emporium. If the video content is good and I am completely absorbed in the presentation, music is not needed. In fact it can can be down right distracting and annoying sometimes. I say play it safe and leave out the music. Your video content stands up well enough on its own and any music is not needed.

[@vavin1881]

I liked the music

[@sciencestararvinsinghk]

Please make a video about reseeding and decellularized scaffold with new cells. And the music or no music makes no difference to me

[@hunterringland5949]

It sounds kinda dry without music. Maybe just quieter music.

[@stribika0]

0.6 F out of that is amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[@ceejayc6502]

I agree, this guy always hits the sweet spot.

[@dennisford2000]

Now add another insulation layer and roll it!

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

I actually liked your video better compared to what Robert Murray-Smith usually does because instead of "just experiment and find it out yourself!" you actually explained exactly what you did and exactly what you've got, appreciate it. I was also really interested in that setup of multiple capacitors that you have where you varied a single parameter to figure what works the best and would love to see more on what you tried. Both things that worked and things that didnt are really interesting.

[@thethoughtemporium]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@a0cdhd]

@@hyperhektor7733 Robert Murray Smith used to be pretty free with his content but then he thought it would be a good idea to expand, get a lab, buy lab equipment and all that sort of thing. He is a clever bugger and has cooked up some pretty interesting stuff. But now he has to pay rent, maintain equipment, buy new equipment etc etc. So now he has to sell stuff which is why he doesn't give away much anymore. Pity, but there you go. Everybody's in it for the money now which is why we have Patreon.

[@ancapftw9113]

Asked his is something was possible once. His response was just "maybe. Figure it out yourself."

[@0Arcoverde]

Also He doesn't put any energy into the video itself He barely has a mic, lapel mic is dirt cheap, come on...

[@saah311]

This is the best video I've ever seen about super caps. I searched for week and I got no answer until I found this video. Thank you so much 👍🏻👍🏻

[@ianmorris7566]

No music is the best. Great vid, keep up the good work.

[@thekidofalltrades8648]

Great video as always, can't wait for the next one!

[@seankelly1291]

Super cool useful vid! And yes, I didn’t hear it with music, but this is definitely better.

[@ShakhaNirvana]

wonderfully clear up everything!

[@MartinBuzon]

Can't explain how much I like this stuff

[@artifinch824]

I'll have to get around to tinkering with this, I've been meaning to for a while. Can't wait for next Monday, this is going to be a great series!

[@fundamentally2615]

Artifinch Same! Super capacitors are fascinating

[@planesofpaper]

0.6f! That's insane for something that size!

[@GeoffTV2]

"The quest to make them reach their full potential" (at 4:03), pun intended? Great video BTW, thank you.

[@TheRainHarvester]

I made a capacitance meter with an Arduino. You could program it to charge/discharge and measure the capacitance each time to see if it breaks down, and how many cycles it would last. Great video! Subscribed!

[@potatosalad68]

nice

[@aboudezoa]

I love your videos , so informative. Good job 🖒

[@LanceThumping]

There was a relatively recent paper that I saw about creating proper single layer graphene on copper foil. It might be interesting to try and use their method to make electrodes for the capacitor, especially since their description had it in a continuous spool that would be conducive to wrapping a cylindrical capacitor.

[@mottoluver7854]

You put much work there. Nice!

[@shigatsuningen]

Truly inspiring results.

[@jeremygibbs7342]

Educational, thank you.

[@Dr.Farkhod]

nice video thank you very much!!

[@hanccoc]

gracias estuvo buenísimo

[@MisterBones223]

Dude! Activated carbon killed it!

[@vasanthsreeram]

Dude you deserve some funding man.

[@uivideo7637]

Very nice.

[@ancapftw9113]

Robert's channel is awesome (aside from the fact that he doesn't use a lapel Mic). Everyone should definately check it out.

[@lamamriaissa1165]

thunkyou very mutch good explicqtion , and what about rearegement molecule dielectric condensator

[@LunaLucia]

You got the part at 2:50 backwards, the empty battery has the lithium in the transition metal oxide layer, while the charged battery has the lithium in the graphite layer.

[@AlanHowellphotovideo]

Twist that graphite 1.1 degrees and you really got something. It's magic lol

[@recrof]

did you mean graphene? (i know it was a joke, but still)

[@AlanHowellphotovideo]

@@recrof Graphene is simply one atomic layer of graphite, but a joke, yes. Perhaps more comical to say carbon? lol

[@guytech7310]

Boiled graphite will also superconduct at room temperatures, but i think it degrades (temperature changes)

[@novano1d]

Thanks for the great video as always! I'll try it out eventually but right now I don't have the materials.

[@AmKhaibitu]

Electrolytes, they're what super-capacitors crave.

[@William_Hada]

Excellent video! Lots of good info here and presented very well. Looking forward to the other parts. I have made and tested a few super caps myself. The resulting capacitances were very good but they had a short lifespan. After maybe 6 to 8 charge discharge cycles over a period of 15 to 20 minutes they would stop working. I tried several different binders, one being a commercial polymer based one used in making lithium ion batteries. They all had short life spans. After watching all of Robert Murray Smith's videos I noticed that he calenders his electrodes. After applying the carbon based paint he dries the coated electrode and then compresses it between two rollers. I suppose this compression helps the coating adhere to the foil and maybe helps with cell longevity. It may also improve cap performance. I have not had time yet to try this calendering step on my cells yet. Have you checked the longevity of your caps or tried calendering them?

[@thethoughtemporium]

There's a lot of things that can lead to short lifespans. Far as I can tell, mine actually get better after a few cycles, but they fade because they dry out. A squirt of water or other electrolyte usually gets them back up to full function. Some of my non water based cells that can't dry out work well even exposed to air for a long time. If you tried packaging your cells in something airtight with a bit of extra electrolyte, you may have better results.I haven't tried calendaring as I don't have a press or rollers

[@rrocelito]

@@thethoughtemporium Hi. Congrats for the video. Great! Maybe the lifespan problem is related to the application of voltages greater than 1V. Usually, 1V is the maximum operational window, after that the aqueous electrolyte is degraded in H2 (or/and something else). What do you think?

[@jutech2856]

Hi, very informative Video!👍👍 I have a few Questions, maybe someone can answer. 1. Wont the Sulfuric acid (or other strong acids) destroy the separator paper? 2. What was your last change in the Video to achieve 0.6 Farads? 3. How to find out the Peak Voltage? Set it to maybe 3V and does the capacitor settles down its Voltage by itself? Thank you for your answer 👍

[@rayg436]

agreed I am a religious follower of Robert and have been for years you now have a new sub. tks for the great vid.

[@kaai2]

This was an amazing video and lots of information. Where would you go if you wanted to manufacture your own super capacitor using your own carbon and binding formula?

[@dustinsmith8341]

You patent the formulas immediately. And start a company or pay a company to manufacture them. Then sit back and $$$. Just that simple my friend.

[@Mordewolt]

i swear i've seen it in some soviet "popular mechanic", the moment you've started to talk about binders, i thought "i bet he'd use PVA". This is the only explanation as to why i was so certain, there were no other sources for me to get this information.

[@basileok2222]

Very good video. Congratulations. I saw a 2.7 Volt supercapacitor and 500 unwind Farazi that consisted of two layers of activated carbon and two layers of paper. It was dry and had no electrolyte between the layers. It was built like an ordinary capacitor: paper and aluminum, only the supercapacitor had two overlapping layers. I think that decomposing such a capacitor and measuring it, analyzing it and explaining it would be an interesting thing for those interested in this subject. That layer of activated carbon should be analyzed to know what it is made of. Thanks.

[@rorymcelhinney4075]

You deserve more subs man keep it up

[@TechInventorAman]

Its been a long time since you made this video , what is the development right now ?

[@lemonlover1019]

What are the specific steps you took to charge the supercapacitor? Also is there a way to charge the supercapacitor without the variable voltage source?

[@Lampe2020]

1:28 So after fully discharging a lead acid battery I can both 1. reverse the polarity by simply charging it the other way around and 2. fill up the battery with simple destilled water instead of sulfuric acid?

[@michaeld954]

I was thinking about 3d printing a housing but can the plastic be used as separator and fill it with graphite

[@fransjebik8554]

Hi sir, I follow your video and the part with the binder I understand till the little white drop of something that you put also in the mixture, I really cannot understand what you are saying there, please will you tell me what this little white drop is called? Thank you very much.

[@bojackson3073]

11:00 nice 500g scale weight, i do the same thing :P

[@noahpfluke6981]

Please revisit this experiment!!! Love your channel!

[@noahpfluke6981]

Please please please revisit this project! 🙂

[@agdaboss3281]

Weird question instead of painting your electrode could you use an aerosolizer to apply your paint

[@Cybergrip1]

Will home made caps work with power line current as in a home or 200A?

[@asifalikhan8677]

Can I use thin hdpe sheet as dielectric between both electrode ?

[@tanushbiswal5533]

@The Thought Emporium, where did you get the formula for capacitance at 13:20 from? Did you derive it, or did you get it from a cite-able trustworthy source?

[@jackronaldo774]

What electrolyte was used in that 0.6 farad capacitor? 😅🤔

[@adrianabernardes5638]

Can you please tell me where can I find the probe holder?

[@edwarner4449]

Can you go into more detail on comparison between the different graphite binders? Ive been experimenting with conductive paint recipes for electroplating. Best results so far have been 6:1 graphite/ PPG Deltron (catalyzed urethane clear) reduced 50% - 6 coats LIGHT coats with a .3mm nozzle buffed with suede between coats (the buffing turns out to be key). Best ive gotten is 100ohm/cm, but I'd like to achieve better. PVA, shelac, nail polish, acrylic, and the other youtube suggestions resulted in 250+ohm

[@chadjensenster]

I was thinking, instead of graphene, what do you think about silver nanoparticles? Silver conducts probably best of all elements, and it is nano so it will have good surface area, also silver is chemically active so you could use an electrolyte that cause chemical reaction? I checked and silver nanoparticles are about $25 a gram online.

[@chadjensenster]

Also check out silver-zinc batteries. They look promising and are somewhat safer than Li batteries

[@henki1986]

finally... you make this video....

[@thethoughtemporium]

Ya.... it's been on the list for a long time. I kept putting it off because I wanted it to be as good as possible and there were things I kept wanting to improve.

[@henki1986]

well, i still on my work with charcoal, can't wait your another video, and another research about nano particle....

[@tripzero0]

Can you use carbon fiber instead of graphite foil?

[@Dr_Mario2007]

Lithium-ion cells work similarly to that of both Lead-acid batteries and supercapacitors in term of charging and discharging cycles. What Supercapacitors have going for them is that there are a few brands and models that absolutely do not use flammable electrolytes, likewise for solid-state Lithium-ion cells - supercapacitors are useful for certain projects that needs a lot of juice, PRONTO, or basically just to keep time on the real-time clock chips. They both need balancer, obviously, if you care about the lifespans and safety. And yes, low internal resistance Lithium-ion cells also exist, yet sometimes they're hard to find. I use either or both in my DIY electronics projects.

[@marydevling8390]

No music, please. Could someone please post that equation? I'm using a tablet and I'm old and can't see. Lol! Thanks!

[@albertogregory9678]

C=(2*(T in seconds)*(va^2*ve))/R(v1^2-v2^2 something like that)

[@Kangsteri]

Any progress on this? I'm planning to try some stainless mouse- / roofing mesh for the collectors.

[@andreydron1796]

I like how he doesn't say his way is the best and only way

[@supernaturalswampaids8083]

Part 2?

[@tonyennis3008]

No music. So, the final capacitor you made was impressive. How many would you have to stack up for this to become dangerous?

[@energialibreisrael]

What electrolyte did you use?

[@robweaver8872]

You were probably getting much higher than 0.6f. With a capacitor, you should be discharging to basically zero. Often super capacitors have lot's of remaining power under 1 volt! Plus your load is likely causing tons of voltage sage with those tiny things, so you likely were no where near fully discharged!

[@JaunR286]

Can you please make a tutorial on how did you make the graphite like in the last part of the video. teach me master

[@TheRa2fan]

You can just straight up buy powdered graphite on sites like ebay, and if you wanted it to be really fine you can use a ball mill as suggested.

[@5thDragonDreamCaster]

Have you ever heard of the Tin-Zinc battery? It's a type of rechargeable battery that can be crudely made at home.

[@Fennec1370]

I’d definitely spend more time and energy on something like this if I had the money and social skills

[@joecitizen6755]

Would copper be a good plate for a capacitor?

[@paolosammartin2588]

How do you know that it is a supercapacitor and not a fuel cell? I think in the analysis it should be relevant the charging time of the device in order to understand it

[@gristlevonraben]

Do you think its possible to use carbon dioxide gas as an electrolite?

[@maxischerr]

Only if you extract the carbon out of it. One posible solution would be to use plants because they use CO2 out of the air and store the carbon in them. Just need to make char coal out of them and make more suitable graphite or whatever out of it. That would be a nice environmentally friendly battery.

[@account0199]

thought emporium: "here's some awesome science that everybody can make!" Me, an intellectual: "who on earth is thumping on the mic?? Oh, that's him, he's the one... Doing... It."

[@lalmohanpadhy4380]

Can you make a video on aluminum air battery...

[@arf20]

Use lcr meter!

[@quantumlab9130]

I need a little help finding a good separator for my electrodes. Do you have an suggestions?

[@thethoughtemporium]

Sorry can't really help much there. Separators are one of the few things I haven't experimented with much. I normally just use a piece of thin tissue paper, but there are a lot better options, or so I'm told.

[@quantumlab9130]

I will see what I can do. The reason I don't like tissue paper is because I think I would degrade rather quickly. I have been licking for a plastic alternative... but haven't found anything.

[@quantumlab9130]

Keith Reynolds, thank you for the help.

[@guytech7310]

@@quantumlab9130 I think a fiberglass mat, nylon cloth would work. Just need something to insulate the two electrodes but allow ion exchange.

[@NwoDispatcher]

​@@quantumlab9130how about paint?

[@Damaniel3]

0.6F on something so small is absolutely nuts.

[@NwoDispatcher]

How about we build a big one?

[@quantumlab9130]

Could I use the separator found in lithium ion cells.

[@ntotheever]

In your Ragone plot, how did EDLC's end up higher then Batteries in terms of energy density?! This is wrong! Check, e.g., Simon, P. and Gogotsi, Y.: Materials for electrochemical capacitors. Nat. Mater. 7, 845 (2008). In a simplified explanation: energy in chemical reactions (electron transfers) is generally higher then electrostatic interaction resulting in the electric double layer as the principle behind EDLC's. Nonetheless EDLC have a have a high potential especially if the electrochemical stability of the electrolyte can be increased. Anyway this is a complex topic for a short YT comment ;) feel free to ask qs. BTW nice assembly!

[@asifalikhan8677]

@The Thought Emporium I am having a problem .. I have tried to make battery 3 times and two with activated carbon and one with manganese dioxide .. Used potassium hydroxide as well as sodium sulphate electrolytes and charged on 2.6v (at 3 volt electrolyte start burning) but all the time after charging voltage suddenly start dropping and battery don't have power to test on EBDtester ... Can anyone rectify what I am missing 😔

[@senna4281]

Question has anyone tried adding a magnetite strip between two paper separator. Could using a magnetite strip in place of electrolyte attract electrons. If yes would you still be dependant on surface area or could then look at density instead of surface area.?

[@senna4281]

Was thinking of Graphene as it’s has been said it can interact with a magnetic field. Could it attract electrons from the Graphene storing the electrons.

[@thethoughtemporium]

I don't think that would work, and if it did it would either be highly inefficient, or a totally different kind of device.

[@senna4281]

So I take it that it’s probably never been tried or experienced with.

[@joflo5950]

How do I know what voltage to charge it with?

[@christsrevenge8030]

Jo Flo. Good question. Not sure. All I know is If it blows up, that is a good indicator that too much power was used.

[@christsrevenge8030]

Jo Flo. 11:03

[@guytech7310]

The maximum voltage is limited to the breakdown of the electrolyte. Water has a breakdown voltage of about 1.2V. Any more the water begins electrolysis converting water into hydrogen & oxygen. For any given electrolyte you have have to lookup the breakdown voltage or measure it your self (Use two metal electrodes in the solution and raise the voltage until you see bubbles)

[@kerloesmedhet3480]

Is there an alternative to phosphoric acid What is the benefit of phosphoric acid

[@legominimovieproductions]

What are these bottles and where do you got them from?

[@guytech7310]

They are called glass vials. You can by them on amazon or stores that sell scientific glassware.

[@sethgt1234]

What about LTO cells? I know this video was made quite a long time ago. But I still want to know what you think.

[@sethgt1234]

I am interested in fast discharge and fast charge. I am into car audio. I also live in Indiana which gets cold. I need a battery that has safety, high current, large temperature operating temperature, and the most power density for all of the above. LTO seems to be everything I need. I would definitely like to couple the LTO with super caps. I think that would be the best hybrid system you could make with the technology available now. Let me know your thoughts.

[@jameselliott9397]

Is white vinegar a good electrolyte?

[@TheRedneckAtheist]

Probably not since the stuff you buy at the grocery store isn't chemically pure. If you want to try it get some glacial acetic acid and mix your own concentrations, make sure to use the purest water you can get. Just remember: Any metal + Acid = salt(massively oversimplified but true in general) so avoid highly reactive metals like aluminum while using acid.

[@betrueALLWAYS]

Why arent you useing monatomic gold?

[@Earthbound64]

Why would you paint the graphfoil with graphite powder? Wouldnt it be sufficient enough to just use the graphoil itself? Whats the use?

[@thethoughtemporium]

significant increase in surface area and therefor more charge storage surfaces.

[@Earthbound64]

@@thethoughtemporium aah you mean the graphfoil is just a stable construct to keep it a study surface and you just put another layer of even better graphite (due to being optimized).

[@thethoughtemporium]

ya graphite isn't even best. Before I put this project down I was looking at graphene nanofoams coated in inorganic nanowires, amongst other things. Graphite foil is just nice because it won't dissolve if you use strong acids or other concentrated electrolytes. one less thing to worry about.

[@Earthbound64]

@@thethoughtemporium Hey Thought Emporium, would you mind to reveal what kind of electrolyte you used for the 0,6F test capacitor? Did you put activated carbon which was "enhanced" before to get a greater surface area with the casein/school glue binder? Thanks in advance :)

[@zachr207]

What about mechanical kinetic flywheel batteries?

[@cezarcatalin1406]

Zach R How fast fo you want that to spin ?

[@zachr207]

ᏰĪᏝᏝ ՇÎρɧᏋƦ it depends on how massive it is, where the mass is located (close to the edge or center), and also the friction losses. Check out Eulers Turbine equation.

[@enterprisestobart]

Just as a note, on Wikipedia it states that 4 Leyden Jars in parallel was the basis for the worlds first battery (capacitors were originally called Leyden Jars). Supercapacitors could be improvised by connecting lots of capacitors in parallel.

[@free_spirit1]

0:30 citation needed?

[@cezarcatalin1406]

free spirit 1 You don’t want much cobalt in your body, ya know ?

[@Ken-wc7po]

Cool.. Useful words.. Too many people on here talk and talk... Are you saying super capacitors over graphene cells

[@volodymyrromanchenko8856]

"Denisty" but yes.. I agree with you ahahhaha xD good job brò! 4:30 lol

[@muhammedalisolkar5969]

3:09 ?

[@budhihart8161]

What if just paper sparator with no electrolite.. What about the voltage?

[@tk4x431]

I think that's just a standard capacitor, conductive plated separated by a dielectric

[@budhihart8161]

@@tk4x431 yes..ur super caps..what is the voltage ..2v? Or 2.5v?

[@guytech7310]

@@budhihart8161 Depends on the electrolytes breakdown voltage when it begins to outgass hydrogen\oxygen from electrolysis. For water with a salt its 1.2V. I believe the highest is about 2.7V.

[@minhazhosen1631]

Try experimenting with carbon nanotubes

[@mikahandony1562]

i just use the capacitance meter on my multi-meter

[@Draakdarkmaster6]

if i guess what your secret sauce electrolyte solution is correctly, will you tell me if i'm right?

[@jerrytuma8972]

soooo electrons dont go through the separator they go through the wires when connected in a loop other than that good vid

[@guytech7310]

Ions in the electrolyte move through the separator.

[@dogodogo5891]

where your graphene oxide synthesis that submerged in tea? did yo u remove it?

[@cooldude20128]

2:09 *cursed goldfish*

[@3er24t4g1]

Could buckminster fullerenes be used as an electrode material?

[@thethoughtemporium]

Tesla sure. It'd just be obnoxiously expensive to get enough

[@lorenzodileo8517]

7:56 What about Diamond?

[@Gabriel-yd4bq]

@@kreynolds1123 not to talk about the price. For a home experiment diamonds would be out of reach because of their price

[@Gabriel-yd4bq]

@@kreynolds1123 i totally did not know that diamonds were so used nowadays. I thought of diamonds only as an expensive mineral used in jewelry, mining and that sort of thing. Thanks for explaining that to me.

[@ricseeds4835]

Can someone clear up the equation at 12:02?

[@fenderrexfender]

V^2 randomly popped over that equation