Mechanically stable ternary heterogeneous electrodes for energy storage and conversion

Recent Development of Flexible and Stretchable Supercapacitors Using Transition Metal Compounds as Electrode Materials

Flexible and stretchable supercapacitors (FS-SCs) are promising energy storage devices for wearable electronics due to their versatile flexibility/stretchability, long cycle life, high power density, and safety. Transition metal compounds (TMCs) can deliver a high capacitance and energy density when applied as pseudocapacitive or battery-like electrode materials owing to their large theoretical capacitance and faradaic charge-storage mechanism. The recent development of TMCs (metal oxides/hydroxides, phosphides, sulfides, nitrides, and selenides) as electrode materials for FS-SCs are discussed here. First, fundamental energy-storage mechanisms of distinct TMCs, various flexible and stretchable substrates, and electrolytes for FS-SCs are presented. Then, the electrochemical performance and features of TMC-based electrodes for FS-SCs are categorically analyzed. The gravimetric, areal, and volumetric energy density of SC using TMC electrodes are summarized in Ragone plots. More importantly, several recent design strategies for achieving high-performance TMC-based electrodes are highlighted, including material composition, current collector design, nanostructure design, doping/intercalation, defect engineering, phase control, valence tuning, and surface coating. Integrated systems that combine wearable electronics with FS-SCs are introduced. Finally, a summary and outlook on TMCs as electrodes for FS-SCs are provided.

Controllable crystal growth of a NiCo-LDH nanostructure anchored onto KCu7S4 nanowires via a facile solvothermal method for supercapacitor application

The application of NiCo-LDHs as electrode materials for supercapacitors has attracted widespread attention.

Cellular Carbon-Film-Based Flexible Sensor and Waterproof Supercapacitors

A highly sensitive portable piezoresistive sensor with a fast response time in an extended linear working range is urgently needed to meet the rapid development of artificial intelligence, interactive human-machine interfaces, and ubiquitous flexible electronics. However, it is a challenge to rationally couple these figures of merit (sensitivity, response time, and working range) together as they typically show functionally correlative behavior in the sensor. Here, we aim at introducing the hierarchical pores across several size orders from micro- to larger scale into the intrinsically flexible graphene-based electrode materials that overcome this limitation of the sensor. We achieved a flexible sensor with a prominent sensitivity of 11.9 kPa^-1 in the linear range of 3 Pa to ∼21 kPa and a rapid response time of 20 ms to positively monitor the pulse rate, voice recognition, and true force value for biomedical and interactive human-machine interface application assisted by an analog-digital converter. More interesting is the carbon-nanotube-doped graphene that also served as the electrode in the waterproof supercapacitor to actively drive the sensor as a whole flexible system. We believe our findings not only offer a general strategy for the graphene-based platform in flexible electronics but also possess other intriguing potential in functional application such as the heat dissipation component in electron devices or seawater filtration in environment application.

Stereolithographic 3D Printing-Based Hierarchically Cellular Lattices for High-Performance Quasi-Solid Supercapacitor

3D printing-based supercapacitors have been extensively explored, yet the rigid rheological requirement for corresponding ink preparation significantly limits the manufacturing of true 3D architecture in achieving superior energy storage. We proposed the stereolithographic technique to fabricate the metallic composite lattices with octet-truss arrangement by using electroless plating and engineering the 3D hierarchically porous graphene onto the scaffolds to build the hierarchically cellular lattices in quasi-solid supercapacitor application. The supercapacitor device that is composed of composite lattices span several pore size orders from nm to mm holds promising behavior on the areal capacitance (57.75 mF cm^-2), rate capability (70% retention, 2-40 mA cm^-2), and long lifespan (96% after 5000 cycles), as well as superior energy density of 0.008 mWh cm^-2, which are comparable to the state-of-the-art carbon-based supercapacitor. By synergistically combining this facile stereolithographic 3D printing technology with the hierarchically porous graphene architecture, we provide a novel route of manufacturing energy storage device as well as new insight into building other high-performance functional electronics.

Graphene-Bridged Multifunctional Flexible Fiber Supercapacitor with High Energy Density

Portable fiber supercapacitors with high-energy storage capacity are in great demand to cater for the rapid development of flexible and deformable electronic devices. Hence, we employed a 3D cellular copper foam (CF) combined with the graphene sheets (GSs) as the support matrix to bridge the active material with nickel fiber (NF) current collector, significantly increasing surface area and decreasing the interface resistance. In comparison to the active material directly growing onto the NF in the absence of CF and GSs, our rationally designed architecture achieved a joint improvement in both capacity (0.217 mAh cm^-2/1729.413 mF cm^-2, 1200% enhancement) and rate capability (87.1% from 1 to 20 mA cm^-2, 286% improvement), which has never been achieved before with other fiber supercapacitors. The in situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) microcompression test demonstrated its superior mechanical recoverability for the first time. Importantly, the assembled flexible and wearable device presented a superior energy density of 109.6 μWh cm^-2 at a power density of 749.5 μW cm^-2, and the device successfully coupled with a flexible strain sensor, solar cell, and nanogenerator. This rational design should shed light on the manufacturing of 3D cellular architectures as microcurrent collectors to realize high energy density for fiber-based energy storage devices.