Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors

Control electrical flow across all manner of applications with our RS extensive range of aluminum electrolytic capacitors. We stock thousands of these powerful and versatile capacitors, so there is sure to be one in our range that meets the requirements of your project.

Designed and produced by leading manufacturers including Cornell-Dubilier, Nichicon, and Panasonic, our aluminum electrolytic capacitors can be confidently relied upon. And with configurations, capacitances, tolerances, mounting types, and countless other factors to choose from, all you need to do is use the search options to the left of the page to narrow your choice.

Create efficient, dependable circuits with the RS range of aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Explore our selection or continue scrolling down to learn more about these components, their types, and applications. If you want to learn more, contact our experts or visit our expert hub.

What are aluminum electrolytic capacitors?

Used to store electric charge and release it rapidly in order to overcome changing energy levels and better control electrical flow in the process, aluminum electrolytic capacitors are an integral part of countless electrical devices across the world.

Polarized, they are composed of a wound anode and cathode foil, separated by an electrolyte-soaked layer and typically surrounded by an insulator. The electrolytic aspect provides them with a much greater capacitance level than other types of capacitors, such as those that use paper or ceramic.

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors operate across a wide range of low and high working voltages and work well when used alongside ripple current applications too. They do exhibit fairly high leakage and poor tolerance, however, and are not typically used in high-frequency applications.

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When browsing the capacitors on this page, you may be wondering which is better: aluminum polymer capacitors or aluminum electrolytic capacitors?

The main difference between the two is that the material placed between the anode and cathode. In aluminum polymer capacitors, this is made from a solid conductive polymer, created by heating a monomer inside the component during production. Aluminum liquid electrolyte capacitors, on the other hand, can feature a liquid (or 'wet') electrolyte. There are also solid electrolytic capacitors, which feature a solid electrolyte made from aluminum or manganese oxide, for instance. Hybrid designs, including a solid polymer and liquid electrolyte, are also available.

Each has its benefits. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are good at handling much higher voltages - up to 600V - and do not leak current as much as polymer. They are also much cheaper.

On the other hand, polymer electrolytic capacitors are better when used alongside high-ripple currents (those with lower equivalent series resistance (ESR) values) and have higher lifetimes and load lives than electrolytic. They also exhibit no dry-out behavior, given they are not liquid-based.

What are aluminum electrolytic capacitors used for?

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors have a wide range of uses. They are singularly used for applications such as DC/DC converters over 500W, spot welding, flash tube ignition, frequency converting, and starter motors.

Along with film capacitors, they are used for motor control, lighting ballast, and voltage doubling, and share the application of power line buffering with ceramic capacitors. All three types can be used for noise filtering, coupling, decoupling, smoothing, and bypassing.

Why you can trust the RS aluminum electrolytic capacitors range?

Choose RS for your aluminum electrolytic polymer capacitors and gain high-quality components from an established leader in component supply and distribution. North America's number one, we are part of Electrocomponents PLC, which brings over 3.5 million parts to customers across 117 countries.

Produced to the highest standards in line with all relevant laws and regulations, we stock aluminum electrolytic capacitors from Vishay Dale, Wurth Electronics, Illinois Capacitor, and EPCOS - manufacturers you can trust.

What's more, our capacitors are available in a range of mounting types, termination types, case sizes, and operating temperatures. We stock parts with special features too, such as those designed specifically for motors, automotive or audio applications, and both super and ultracapacitors. This means you are sure to find an aluminum electrolytic capacitor that suits the specifications of your project.

Explore our extensive selection of aluminum electrolytic capacitors and bring performance and efficiency to your circuits, devices, and applications. To learn more about our range, and to find out which is best suited to your specific requirements, get in touch with our experts or explore our expert hub.