Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Alumina over Activated Carbon Electrodes Enabling a Stable 4 V Supercapacitor Operation

Designing high voltage (>3 V) and stable electrochemical supercapacitors with low self-discharge is desirable for the applications in modern electronic devices. This work demonstrates a 4 V symmetric supercapacitor with stabilized cycling performance through atomic layer deposition (ALD) of alumina (Al₂O₃) on the surface of activated carbon (AC). The 20-cycle ALD Al₂O₃ coated AC delivers 84 % capacitance retention after 1000 charge/discharge cycles under 4 V, contrary to the bare AC cells having only 48 % retention. The extended cycling life is associated with the thickened Stern layer and suppressed oxygen functional group. The self-discharge data also show that the Al₂O₃ coating enables AC cells to maintain 53 % of charge retention after 12 h, which is more than twice higher than that of bare AC cells under the same test protocol of 4 V charging. The curve fitting analysis reveals that ALD coating induced slow self-discharge dominated by ion diffusion mechanism, thus enhancing the AC surface energy.     

Correlation of EDLC Capacitance with Physical Properties of Polyethylene Terephthalate Added Pitch-Based Activated Carbon

The electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) has attracted attention by using activated carbon (AC) as an active electrode material with a high power density and high cost-efficiency in industrial applications. The EDLC has been actively developed over the past decade to improve the power density and capacitance. Extensive studies on EDLCs have been conducted to investigate the relation of EDLC capacitance to the physical properties of AC, such as the specific surface area, pore type and size, and electrical conductivity. In this study, EDLC was fabricated with AC, and its capacitance was evaluated with the physical properties of AC. The AC was prepared using petroleum-based pitch synthesized using pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) with polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The AC based on PFO and PET (PPAC) exhibited high specific surface area and low micropore fraction compared to the PFO-based AC without PET addition (PAC). Furthermore, the reduction of the EDLC capacitance of PPAC was smaller than that of PAC, as the scan rate was increased from 5 to 100 mV s−1. It was determined that the minor reduction of capacitance with an increase in the scan rate resulted from the development of 4 nm-sized mesopores in PPAC. In addition, a comprehensive correlation of EDLC capacitance with various physical properties of ACs, such as specific surface area, pore characteristics, and electrical conductivity, was established. Finally, the optimal properties of AC were thereupon derived to improve the EDLC capacitance.     

Fabrication of Vertical-Standing Co-MOF Nanoarrays with 2D Parallelogram-like Morphology for Aqueous Asymmetric Electrochemical Capacitors

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been considered as one of the most promising electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors due to their large specific surface area and abundant pore structure. Herein, we report a Co-MOF electrode with a vertical-standing 2D parallelogram-like nanoarray structure on a Ni foam substrate via a one-step solvothermal method. The as-prepared Co-MOF on a Ni foam electrode delivered a high area-specific capacitance of 582.0 mC cm⁻² at a current density of 2 mA cm⁻² and a good performance rate of 350.0 mC cm⁻² at 50 mA cm⁻². Moreover, an asymmetric electrochemical capacitor (AEC) device (Co-MOF on Ni foam//AC) was assembled by using the as-prepared Co-MOF on a Ni foam as the cathode and a active carbon-coated Ni foam as the anode to achieve a maximum energy density of 0.082 mW cm⁻² at a power density of 0.8 mW cm⁻², which still maintained 0.065 mW cm⁻² at a high power density of 11.94 mW cm⁻². Meanwhile, our assembled device exhibited an excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of nearly 100% after 1000 cycles. Therefore, this work provides a simple method to prepare MOF-based material for the application of energy storage and conversion.     

以预锂化中间相碳微球为负极的锂离子电容器的电化学性能

以商品活性炭(AC)为正极, 预锂化中间相碳微球(LMCMBs)为负极, 组装成锂离子电容器(LICs). 用X射线衍射(XRD)对LMCMB 电极材料的晶体结构进行了表征和分析, 预锂化量(PIC)小于200 mAh·g^-1 时,LMCMB电极材料基本保持了原始的石墨晶体结构. 利用三电极装置, 测试了充放电过程中LICs 的正、负极及整电容器的电压变化曲线. 以LMCMB为电极, 锂离子电容器负极的工作电压变低, 并且电压曲线更加平坦, 同时正极也可以利用到更低的电压区间. 对比锂离子电容器MCMB/AC, LMCMB/AC在比能量密度、循环性能和库仑效率电化学性能方面都得到了改善. 在电压区间2.0-3.8 V 下, 100 次循环后, 放电比容量的保持率从74.8%增加到100%, 库仑效率从95%增加到100%. LMCMB/AC电容器容量不衰退的直接原因是由于AC正极极化变小. 在2.0-3.8 V和1.5-3.8 V电压区间内, LMCMB/AC锂离子电容器的比能量密度分别可达85.6和97.9 Wh·kg^-1.     

Preparation and electrochemical properties of nanofiber poly(2,5-dihydroxyaniline)/activated carbon composite electrode for supercapacitor

In this study, poly(2,5-dihydroxyaniline) (PDHA) was successfully prepared by electrochemical method on the surface of active carbon (AC) electrodes. The physical and electrochemistry properties of PDHA/AC composite electrode compared with pure AC electrode were investigated by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cycle life test. From SEM, PDHA presents nanofiber network morphology. The diameter of the nanofiber PDHA is about 200–300 nm. PDHA/AC composite electrode shows redox peaks in CV curve and voltage plateaus in galvanostatic charge–discharge curve, and all these indicate that PDHA/AC composite electrode has more advantages. The maintenance of the capacitance compared to initial cycle capacitance of composite electrode is about 90% during the charge–discharge cycles. In conclusion, The PDHA/AC composite electrode shows much higher specific capacitance (958 F g⁻¹), better power characteristics, longer cycle life. Therefore, PDHA/AC composite electrodes were more promising for application in capacitor. This can be attributed to the introduction of nanofiber PDHA. The effect and role of PDHA in the composite electrodes were also discussed in detail.     

Preparation and Electrochemical Performance of Three-Dimensional Vertically Aligned Graphene by Unidirectional Freezing Method

Three-dimensional vertically aligned graphene (3DVAG) was prepared by a unidirectional freezing method, and its electrochemical performances were evaluated as electrode materials for zinc−ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs). The prepared 3DVAG has a vertically ordered channel structure with a diameter of about 20−30 μm and a length stretching about hundreds of microns. Compared with the random structure of reduced graphene oxide (3DrGO), the vertical structure of 3DVAG in a three−electrode system showed higher specific capacitance, faster ion diffusion, and better rate performance. The specific capacitance of 3DVAG reached 66.6 F·g⁻¹ and the rate performance reached 92.2%. The constructed 3DVAG zinc−ion hybrid supercapacitor also showed excellent electrochemical performance. It showed good capacitance retention up to 94.6% after 3000 cycles at the current density of 2 A·g⁻¹.     

Carbon-Encased Mixed-Metal Selenide Rooted with Carbon Nanotubes for High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitors

Transition metal-based compounds with high theoretical capacitance and low cost represent one class of promising electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. However, their low intrinsic electrical conductivity impedes their capacitive effect and further limits their practical application. Rational regulation of their composition and structure is, therefore, necessary to achieve a high electrode performance. Herein, a well-designed carbon-encased mixed-metal selenide rooted with carbon nanotubes (Ni-Co-Se@C-CNT) was derived from nickel–cobalt bimetallic organic frameworks. Due to the unique porous structure, the synergistic effect of bimetal selenides and the in situ growth of carbon nanotubes, the composite exhibits good electrical conductivity, high structural stability and abundant redox active sites. Benefitting from these merits, the Ni-Co-Se@C-CNT exhibited a high specific capacity of 554.1 C g⁻¹ (1108.2 F g⁻¹) at 1 A g⁻¹ and a superior cycling performance, i.e., 96.4% of the initial capacity was retained after 5000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, a hybrid supercapacitor assembled with Ni-Co-Se@C-CNT cathode and activated carbon (AC) anode shows a superior energy density of 38.2 Wh kg⁻¹ at 1602.1 W kg⁻¹.     

Effect of surface oxygen functionalities on capacitance of activated carbon in non-aqueous electrolyte

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are composed of two activated carbon (AC) electrodes and an electrolyte/separator, in which the ACs contain numbers of surface oxygen functionalities (SOFs). In this work, the effect of SOFs on the EDLC’s capacitance in non-aqueous electrolytes is studied by using a 1.0 m (molality) LiPF₆ 3:7 (wt.) ethylene carbonate-ethyl methyl carbonate electrolyte and a commercial activated carbon. Results show that the SOFs on one hand contribute to Faradic pseudocapacitance, and on the other hand adversely reduce the EDLC’s performances, including the initial reversibility, coulombic efficiency, and capacitance retention. It is found that the AC behaves significantly different in the Li/AC half cells and in the AC/AC full cells and that the SOF’s pseudocapacitance increases with widening the EDLC’s operating voltage. The latter is attributed to the large-voltage hysteresis of the redox of SOFs. In this paper, the AC’s unique behaviors in Li salt electrolyte are presented, and a possible mechanism for the observed behaviors is proposed.     

Application of Rhamnolipids as Dispersing Agents for the Fabrication of Composite MnO2-Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Supercapacitors

The high theoretical capacitance of MnO₂ renders it a promising material for the cathodes of asymmetric supercapacitors. The good dispersion of MnO₂ and conductive additives in a nanocomposite electrode is a key factor for efficient electrode performance. This article describes, for the first time, the application of rhamnolipids (RL) as efficient natural biosurfactants for the fabrication of nanocomposite MnO₂-carbon nanotube electrodes for supercapacitors. RL act as co-dispersants for MnO₂ and carbon nanotubes and facilitate their efficient mixing, which allows for advanced capacitive properties at an active mass of 40 mg cm⁻² in Na₂SO₄ electrolytes. The highest capacitance obtained from the cyclic voltammetry data at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹ is 8.10 F cm⁻² (202.6 F g⁻¹). The highest capacitance obtained from the galvanostatic charge–discharge data at a current density of 3 mA cm⁻² is 8.65 F cm⁻² (216.16 F g⁻¹). The obtained capacitances are higher than the capacitances of MnO₂-based electrodes of the same active mass reported in the literature. The approach developed in this investigation is simple compared to other techniques used for the fabrication of electrodes with high active mass. It offers advantages of using a biocompatible RL biosurfactant.     

A Simple Route to Produce Highly Efficient Porous Carbons Recycled from Tea Waste for High-Performance Symmetric Supercapacitor Electrodes

High-performance porous carbons derived from tea waste were prepared by hydrothermal treatment, combined together with KOH activation. The heat-treatment-processed materials possess an abundant hierarchical structure, with a large specific surface of 2235 m² g⁻¹ and wetting-complemental hydrophilicity for electrolytes. In a two-electrode system, the porous carbon electrodes’ built-in supercapacitor exhibited a high specific capacitance of 256 F g⁻¹ at 0.05 A g⁻¹, an excellent capacitance retention of 95.4% after 10,000 cycles, and a low leakage current of 0.014 mA. In our work, the collective results present that the precursor crafted from the tea waste can be a promising strategy to prepare valuable electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors, which offers a practical strategy to recycle biowastes into manufactured materials in energy storage applications.     

Zinc-Guided 3D Graphene for Thermally Chargeable Supercapacitors to Harvest Low-Grade Heat

Low-grade heat energy recycling is the key technology of waste-heat utilization, which needs to be improved. Here, we use a zinc-assisted solid-state pyrolysis route to prepare zinc-guided 3D graphene (ZnG), a 3D porous graphene with the interconnected structure. The obtained ZnG, with a high specific surface area of 1817 m²·g⁻¹ and abundant micropores and mesopores, gives a specific capacitance of 139 F·g⁻¹ in a neutral electrolyte when used as electrode material for supercapacitors. At a high current density of 8 A·g⁻¹, the capacitance retention is 93% after 10,000 cycles. When ZnG is used for thermally chargeable supercapacitors, the thermoelectric conversion of the low-grade heat energy is successfully realized. This work thus provides a demonstration for low-grade heat energy conversion.     

Dielectric Properties Investigation of Metal–Insulator–Metal (MIM) Capacitors

This study presents the construction and dielectric properties investigation of atomic-layer-deposition Al₂O₃/TiO₂/HfO₂ dielectric-film-based metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitors. The influence of the dielectric layer material and thickness on the performance of MIM capacitors are also systematically investigated. The morphology and surface roughness of dielectric films for different materials and thicknesses are analyzed via atomic force microscopy (AFM). Among them, the 25 nm Al₂O₃-based dielectric capacitor exhibits superior comprehensive electrical performance, including a high capacitance density of 7.89 fF·µm⁻², desirable breakdown voltage and leakage current of about 12 V and 1.4 × 10⁻¹⁰ A·cm⁻², and quadratic voltage coefficient of 303.6 ppm·V⁻². Simultaneously, the fabricated capacitor indicates desirable stability in terms of frequency and bias voltage (at 1 MHz), with the corresponding slight capacitance density variation of about 0.52 fF·µm⁻² and 0.25 fF·µm⁻². Furthermore, the mechanism of the variation in capacitance density and leakage current might be attributed to the Poole–Frenkel emission and charge-trapping effect of the high-k materials. All these results indicate potential applications in integrated passive devices.     

Flower-like Highly Open-Structured Binder-Free Zn-Co-Oxide Nanosheet for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

Scientific research is being compelled to develop highly efficient and cost-effective energy-storing devices such as supercapacitors (SCs). The practical use of SC devices is hindered by their low energy density and poor rate capability due to the binding agents in fabricating electrodes. Herein, we proposed flower-like highly open-structured binder-free ZnCo₂O₄ micro-flowers composed of nanosheets supported in nickel foam (ZnCoO@NF) with improved rate capability up to 91.8% when current varied from 2 to 20 A·g⁻¹. The ZnCoO@NF electrode exhibited a superior specific capacitance of 1132 F·g⁻¹ at 2 A·g⁻¹ and revealed 99% cycling stability after 7000 cycles at a high current density of 20 A·g⁻¹. The improved performance of the ZnCoO@NF electrode is attributed to the highly stable structure of the micro/nano-multiscale architecture, which provides both the high conduction of electrons and fast ionic transportation paths simultaneously.     

Facile Synthesis of NiCo2O4 Nanowire Arrays/Few-Layered Ti3C2-MXene Composite as Binder-Free Electrode for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Herein, a 3D hierarchical structure is constructed by growing NiCo₂O₄ nanowires on few-layer Ti₃C₂ nanosheets using Ni foam (NF) as substrate via simple vacuum filtration and solvothermal treatment. Ti₃C₂ nanosheets are directly anchored on NF surface without binders or surfactants, and NiCo₂O₄ nanowires composed of about 15 nm nanoparticles uniformly grow on Ti₃C₂/NF skeleton, which can provide abundant active sites and ion diffusion pathways for enhancing electrochemical performance. Benefiting from the unique structure feature and the synergistic effects of active materials, NiCo₂O₄/Ti₃C₂ exhibits a high specific capacitance of 2468 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ and a good rate performance. Based on this, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) based on NiCo₂O₄/Ti₃C₂ as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC)/NF as negative electrode is assembled. The ASC achieves a high specific capacitance of 253 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ along with 91.5% retention over 10,000 cycles at 15 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, the ACS presents an outstanding energy density of 90 Wh kg⁻¹ at the power density of 2880 W kg⁻¹. This work provides promising guidance for the fabrication of binder-free, free-standing and hierarchical composites for energy storage application.     

Application of Octanohydroxamic Acid for Salting out Liquid–Liquid Extraction of Materials for Energy Storage in Supercapacitors

The ability to achieve high areal capacitance for oxide-based supercapacitor electrodes with high active mass loadings is critical for practical applications. This paper reports the feasibility of the fabrication of Mn₃O₄-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites by the new salting-out method, which allows direct particle transfer from an aqueous synthesis medium to a 2-propanol suspension for the fabrication of advanced Mn₃O₄-MWCNT electrodes for supercapacitors. The electrodes show enhanced capacitive performance at high active mass loading due to reduced particle agglomeration and enhanced mixing of the Mn₃O₄ particles and conductive MWCNT additives. The strategy is based on the multifunctional properties of octanohydroxamic acid, which is used as a capping and dispersing agent for Mn₃O₄ synthesis and an extractor for particle transfer to the electrode processing medium. Electrochemical studies show that high areal capacitance is achieved at low electrode resistance. The electrodes with an active mass of 40.1 mg cm⁻² show a capacitance of 4.3 F cm⁻² at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹. Electron microscopy studies reveal changes in electrode microstructure during charge-discharge cycling, which can explain the increase in capacitance. The salting-out method is promising for the development of advanced nanocomposites for energy storage in supercapacitors.     

线状全固态CNTF@ZnCo-OH//CNTF@RGO超级电容器的制备与电化学性能

采用电化学沉积在碳纳米管纤维上复合锌钴氢氧化物纳米片（CNTF@ZnCo-OH）,并研究其电化学性能。实验结果表明CNTF@ZnCo-OH电极在2 A·g^-1的电流密度下比电容为748 F·g^-1,在10 A·g^-1的电流密度下循环2 000圈以后,比电容保持率高达110.4%。该优异循环性能得益于碳纳米管纤维基底的网络结构和ZnCo-OH的纳米片状结构。以CNTF@RGO（石墨烯）为负极、CNTF@ZnCo-OH为正极,组装线状全固态非对称CNTF@ZnCo-OH//CNTF@RGO超级电容器。该器件在0.5 A·g^-1电流密度下比电容为70 F·g^-1,2 000次循环后电容保持率为79.6%,并且在不同的弯曲状态下保持电化学性能不变,具有优良的机械稳定性。该非对称线状器件可以在0.8~1.4 V之间工作,其能量密度高达19.1 Wh·kg^-1,对应的功率密度为1 400.3 W·kg^-1。2个30 mm长的线状器件可持续点亮LED灯10 s。     

Preparation and electrochemical performance of activated carbon thin films with polyethylene oxide-salt addition for electrochemical capacitor applications

The effect of polymer–salt addition in the activated carbon electrode for electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) has been investigated. A series of composite thin film electrode consisting of activated carbon, carbon black, polytetrafluoroethylene and polymer–salt complex (polyethyleneoxide–LiClO₄) with an appropriate weight ratio were prepared and examined their performance for EDLCs using 1 mol L⁻¹ LiClO₄ in ethylene carbonate:diethylcarbonate electrolyte solution. The electrochemical capacitance performances of these electrodes with different compositions were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling, and AC impedance measurements. By comparison, the best results were obtained with a composite electrode rich in polymer–salt additive (132 F g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ of galvanostatic experiment). In general, the polymer–salt-containing electrode had shown improved performance over activated carbon electrodes without polymer–salt at high current density.     

聚3,4-乙烯二氧噻吩/石墨烯/钛电极的制备及其电化学性能

采用直流电弧等离子体喷射化学气相沉积法把石墨烯生长在钛(Ti)基底上,并采用电化学氧化聚合法在石墨烯表面沉积聚3,4-乙烯二氧噻吩(PEDOT),由此构造PEDOT/石墨烯/Ti电极。形貌及结构表征结果表明,电聚合200圈以上的PEDOT呈线状或泡沫状且均匀分布于石墨烯表面。电化学性能测试结果表明,PEDOT/石墨烯/Ti电极具有高的比电容和库伦效率;其电聚合次数为400圈时,与PEDOT/Ti电极相比,比电容提高42倍,其最大电势窗口可达1.4 V,而在0～1.2 V电势窗口范围内,扫描速度为10 mV·s-1时,比电容可达到269.6 mF·cm-2。     

Fluorination effect of activated carbon electrodes on the electrochemical performance of electric double layer capacitors

The surface of phenol-based activated carbon (AC) was fluorinated at room temperature with different F₂:N₂ gas mixtures for use as an electrode material in an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The effect of surface fluorination on EDLC electrochemical performance was investigated. The specific capacitance of the fluorinated AC-based EDLC was measured in a 1 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, in which it was observed that the specific capacitances increased from 375 and 145 F g⁻¹ to 491 and 212 F g⁻¹ with the scan rates of 2 and 50 mV s⁻¹, respectively, in comparison to those of an unfluorinated AC-based EDLC when the fluorination process was optimized via 0.2 bar partial F₂ gas pressure. This enhancement in capacitance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of increased polarization on the AC surface, specific surface area, and micro and mesopore volumes, all of which were induced by the fluorination process. The observed increase in polarization was derived from a highly electronegative fluorine functional group that emerged due to the fluorination process. The increased surface area and pore volume of the AC was derived from the physical function of the fluorine functional group.     

Polyacrylamide-lithium chloride polymer electrolyte and its applications in electrochemical capacitors

A neutral polymer electrolyte containing lithium chloride (LiCl) and polyacrylamide (PAM) was developed. The LiCl-PAM electrolyte film had an amorphous structure and an ionic conductivity > 10 mS cm^− 1. The addition of LiCl to the polyacrylamide did not alter the chemical bonding of PAM. Symmetric double layer capacitors (EDLC) were constructed using CNT-graphite electrodes. The solid EDLC retained approximately 85% of the capacitance achieved with a baseline cell in a LiCl aqueous solution. The solid EDLC devices demonstrated a wide voltage window (1.5 V), good cycle life (> 10,000 cycles), and excellent rate capability (up to 5 V s^− 1).