Novel compact high-voltage MXene capacitor design with microscale features, high dielectric constant and high dielectric strength for inertial confinement experiments

Pulsed-power plasma physics studies for intertial confinement experiments require large capacitors charged to high voltages. Typical experiments may require a roomful of capacitors. The wiring to and from large capacitor banks adds inductance, draining potential useful energy from the load. As fusion technology matures into the commercial arena, attention needs to be paid to the size and cost of capacitors used for energy storage. We are exploring the use of MXene-polyvinyl composites constructed into compact 3-D printed capacitors utlizing microscale high-aspect-ratio features, which promise to increase energy density by three orders of magnitude, while conserving high dielectric strength. A prototype centimeter-scale thin (low-aspect ratio) capacitor has been fabricated, with capacitance ten times the value expected for the non-MXene version. Data on the high-aspect ratio version will be presented.