A fundamental study of supercapacitive cells

In this work, we carry out detailed investigations on the energy storage capability of a commercially available 10F/2.5V Suntan supercapacitor. For that, we make use of dedicated measurement methods and techniques: i.e., cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronovoltametry and open circuit voltage. From cyclic voltammetry measurements, we show that the dependence of capacity on the applied voltage is linear. By using chronoamperometry and chronovoltametry, we determine the time dependence of the transient currents and voltages, together with the equivalent series resistance (ESR). Open circuit voltages monitored over a long period of time suggests strongly that the leakage currents are mediated by two charge redistribution mechanisms with kinetics defined by rate constants that differ by one order of magnitude.