Methods of Assessing Degradation of Supercapacitors by Using Various Measurement Techniques

This article presents the qualitative analyses of the construction of supercapacitor samples. The analyses are based on the suggested thermographic measurements as well as the technique of testing the inherent noise of the investigated element. The indicated assessment methods have been referred to the currently used parameters for the qualitative evaluation of supercapacitors. The approach described in this paper, which introduces additional parameters assessing worn out of supercapacitors, can be included in the so-called non-invasive measurement methods, which allow the assessment of the condition of the sample under test. This article presents the applied measurement stands and verifies of the applicability of measurement methods in relation to the currently used parameters allowing for the qualitative assessment of supercapacitors. The measurement method presented in this article was used to study prototypes of supercapacitors. The measurement results allow for more accurate characterization of the observed element. Conducted tests revealed, at the same time, that one of the proposed evaluation methods, based on measurements of inherent noise of tested supercapacitors, is a method predicting their degradation.