Supercapacitor ageing at constant temperature and constant voltage and thermal shock

This paper presents supercapacitor ageing according to the voltage, the temperature and thermal shock tests. To investigate this effect, a test bench of accelerated supercapacitor calendar ageing was carried out. Experimental tests are realized at constant temperature when the supercapacitors are polarized at the maximum voltage. To quantify the supercapacitor ageing, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and the equivalent capacitance (C) are measured using the DC and AC characterization. To lead to the determination of the supercapacitor lifetime, Arrhenius law, that describes the effect of temperature on the velocity of a chemical reaction, is considered. Finally, experimental results of supercapacitor thermal shock are presented. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.