Glass wool material as alternative separator for higher rating electric double layer capacitor

The paper evaluates the electrochemical performance of glass wool as an alternative separator material for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) construction. Using aqueous solution of sulfuric acid as the electrolyte, two-electrode coin-type capacitors were constructed by sandwiching the electrolyte-containing glass wool with two activated carbon sheets. Electrochemical properties of the capacitors were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic and impedance spectroscopy measurements. The glass wool-based capacitor outperforms the practically used cellulose separator with higher power and energy densities of 566 W/kg and 15 kJ/kg, respectively. The implementation of glass wool separator will enable the utilization of high concentration aqueous electrolytes, which lead to higher rating EDLC at relatively lower cost compared to organic solution-based capacitor.