Thinnest supercapacitors designed to power IoT wearable, portable and connected devices

Flat supercapacitors specialist CAP-XX has launched the Thinline series of single-cell supercapacitors - the world’s thinnest with a profile of just 0.6mm. Thinline was developed to address the size, weight and cost challenges of designing thin, sometimes disposable electronic devices for the Internet of Things (IoT). Examples include wearables (medical, fitness and health monitors, smart watches, drug delivery systems), portables (active credit cards, smartphones, RFID tags), and connected electronics (smart homes and smart buildings, electronic shelf labels, wireless sensor networks). To reduce thickness and manufacturing costs, CAP-XX increased the power and energy density in its electrode materials to deliver equivalent performance in about half the volume, and eliminated the folded edges and copper terminals that contribute to thickness in its standard line supercapacitors. (For comparison, CAP-XX’s thinnest traditional single-cell supercapacitor is 1.1mm.) CAP-XX supercapacitors benefit from a 'unique' nanotechnology construction that stores electrical charge in engineered carbon electrodes on aluminium foil, to minimize resistance and maximize capacitance. This novel electrode construction packs the highest energy and power densities possible into thin, prismatic packages. Supercapacitors can handle peak power events, supporting batteries and energy harvesters configured to provide low-power current at maximum efficiency. This architecture allows designers to use smaller, cheaper, low-power batteries and extend their run-time and cycle life, or use intermittent ambient energy sources such as solar photovoltaic. Supercapacitors also enable ultra-quick device charging and wireless power transfer, and provide the backup needed for graceful shutdown and 'last gasp' transmissions in mission-critical applications. CAP-XX Thinline supercapacitors support power requirements in IoT devices including wireless communication (Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Ant, active RFID), electronic paper and OLED displays, haptic or tactile feedback, vibration alerts, GPS acquisition, and injection or inhalation system delivery, says the company. The Thinline idea was born while working with a customer designing a disposable insulin pump. “We figured out how to eliminate materials and change some processes to reduce costs and thickness,” said Anthony Kongats, CEO, CAP-XX. Thinline works with thin-film, solid-state, and other low-power batteries such as coin cells/button cells, energy harvesting modules (solar, vibration/kinetic, RF, and other ambient energy sources), as well as inductive/wireless and cable/cradle fast-charging systems.