Flexible Energy‐Storage Devices: Design Consideration and Recent Progress

Flexible energy‐storage devices are attracting increasing attention as they show unique promising advantages, such as flexibility, shape diversity, light weight, and so on; these properties enable applications in portable, flexible, and even wearable electronic devices, including soft electronic products, roll‐up displays, and wearable devices. Consequently, considerable effort has been made in recent years to fulfill the requirements of future flexible energy‐storage devices, and much progress has been witnessed. This review describes the most recent advances in flexible energy‐storage devices, including flexible lithium‐ion batteries and flexible supercapacitors. The latest successful examples in flexible lithium‐ion batteries and their technological innovations and challenges are reviewed first. This is followed by a detailed overview of the recent progress in flexible supercapacitors based on carbon materials and a number of composites and flexible micro‐supercapacitors. Some of the latest achievements regarding interesting integrated energy‐storage systems are also reviewed. Further research direction is also proposed to surpass existing technological bottle‐necks and realize idealized flexible energy‐storage devices.     

Strong Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Composite Films Fabricated through Bioinspired Bridging for Flexible Energy Storage Devices

Flexible energy storage device is one of the most critical components as power source for wearable electronics. The emergence of MXenes, a growing family of 2D nanomaterials, has demonstrated a brand-new possibility for flexible energy storage. However, the fabrication of MXene films with satisfactory mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical reliabilities remains challenging due to the weak interlayer interactions and self-restacking of MXene sheets. Sequential bridging of polydopamine/polyethyleneimine-functionalized (PDA/PEI)-coated MXene sheets to induce synergistically covalent and hydrogen binding connections of MXene-based films is demonstrated here. By interrupting self-hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions, the introduction of long-chain PEI can not only inhibit the massive aggregation of PDA, but also improve the continuity of the interconnection network of PDA/PEI between MXene layers. Hence, the as-prepared MXene/PDA/PEI composite film displays high mechanical strength (≈366 MPa) which achieves 12-fold improvement compared with pure MXene film, as well as superior energy storage capability (≈454 F g⁻¹ at 5 mV s⁻¹) and rate performance of ≈48% at 10 000 mV s⁻¹. This modulation of inserted polymer between MXene layers can provide an avenue for assembling high performance MXene films, and can even be extended to the fabrication of other 2D platelets for varied applications.     

Transparent Flexible Heteroepitaxy of NiO Coated AZO Nanorods Arrays on Muscovites for Enhanced Energy Storage Application

Transparent flexible energy storage devices are considered as important chains in the next‐generation, which are able to store and supply energy for electronic devices. Here, aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanorods (NRs) and nickel oxide (NiO)‐coated AZO NRs on muscovites are fabricated by a radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition method. Interestingly, AZO NRs and AZO/NiO NRs are excellent electrodes for energy storage application with high optical transparency, high conductivity, large surface area, stability under compressive and tensile strain down to a bending radius of 5 mm with 1000 bending cycles. The obtained symmetric solid‐state supercapacitors based on these electrodes exhibit good performance with a large areal specific capacitance of 3.4 mF cm^?2, long cycle life 1000 times, robust mechanical properties, and high chemical stability. Furthermore, an AZO/NiO//Zn battery based on these electrodes is demonstrated, yielding a discharge capacity of 195 mAh g^?1 at a current rate of 8 A g^?1 and a discharge capacity of over 1000 cycles with coulombic efficiency to 92%. These results deliver a concept of opening a new opportunity for future applications in transparent flexible energy storage.     

Binder-free activated carbon/carbon nanotube paper electrodes for use in supercapacitors

Novel inexpensive, light, flexible, and even rollup or wearable devices are required for multi-functional portable electronics and developing new versatile and flexible electrode materials as alternatives to the materials used in contemporary batteries and supercapacitors is a key challenge. Here, binder-free activated carbon (AC)/carbon nanotube (CNT) paper electrodes for use in advanced supercapacitors have been fabricated based on low-cost, industrial-grade aligned CNTs. By a two-step shearing strategy, aligned CNTs were dispersed into individual long CNTs, and then 90 wt%–99 wt% of AC powder was incorporated into the CNT pulp and the AC/CNT paper electrode was fabricated by deposition on a filter. The specific capacity, rate performance, and power density of the AC/CNT paper electrode were better than the corresponding values for an AC/acetylene black electrode. The capacity reached a maximum value of 267.6 F/g with a CNT loading of 5 wt%, and the energy density and power density were 22.5 W·h/kg and 7.3 kW/kg at a high current density of 20 A/g. The AC/CNT paper electrode also showed a good cycle performance, with 97.5% of the original capacity retained after 5000 cycles at a scan rate of 200 mV/s. This method affords not only a promising paper-like nanocomposite for use in low-cost and flexible supercapacitors, but also a general way of fabricating multi-functional paper-like CNT-based nanocomposites for use in devices such as flexible lithium ion batteries and solar cells.      

Transparent and Flexible Supercapacitors with Networked Electrodes

Transparent and flexible energy storage devices have received immense attention due to their suitability for innovative electronics and displays. However, it remains a great challenge to fabricate devices with high storage capacity and high degree of transmittance. This study describes a simple process for fabrication of supercapacitors with ≈75% of visible transparency and areal capacitance of ≈3 mF cm^?2 with high stability tested over 5000 cycles of charging and discharging. The electrodes consist of Au wire networks obtained by a simple crackle template method which are coated with MnO₂ nanostructures by electrodeposition process. Importantly, the membrane separator itself is employed as substrate to bring in the desired transparency and light weight while additionally exploiting its porous nature in enhancing the interaction of electrolyte with the active material from both sides of the substrate, thereby enhancing the storage capacity. The method opens up new ways for fabricating transparent devices.     

Coil‐Type Asymmetric Supercapacitor Electrical Cables

Cable‐shaped supercapacitors (SCs) have recently aroused significant attention due to their attractive properties such as small size, lightweight, and bendability. Current cable‐shaped SCs have symmetric device configuration. However, if an asymmetric design is used in cable‐shaped supercapacitors, they would become more attractive due to broader cell operation voltages, which results in higher energy densities. Here, a novel coil‐type asymmetric supercapacitor electrical cable (CASEC) is reported with enhanced cell operation voltage and extraordinary mechanical‐electrochemical stability. The CASECs show excellent charge–discharge profiles, extraordinary rate capability (95.4%), high energy density (0.85 mWh cm⁻³), remarkable flexibility and bendability, and superior bending cycle stability (≈93.0% after 4000 cycles at different bending states). In addition, the CASECs not only exhibit the capability to store energy but also to transmit electricity simultaneously and independently. The integrated electrical conduction and storage capability of CASECS offer many potential applications in solar energy storage and electronic gadgets.     

柔性储能电池电极的设计、制备与应用EI北大核心CSCD

随着便携式、可穿戴电子器件的迅速发展,柔性储能器件的研究逐渐转向微型化、轻柔化和智能化等方向。同时人们对器件的能量密度、功率密度和力学性能有了更高的要求。电极材料作为柔性储能器件的核心部分,是决定器件性能的关键。柔性储能电子器件的发展,又迫切需要新型电池技术和快速、低成本且可精准控制其微结构的制备方法。因此,柔性锂/钠离子电池、柔性锂硫电池、柔性锌空电池等新型储能器件的研发成为目前学术界研究的热点。本文论述了近年来柔性储能电池电极的研究现状,着重对柔性电极材料的设计(独立柔性电极和柔性基底电极)、不同维度柔性电极材料的制备工艺(一维材料、二维材料和三维材料)和柔性储能电极的应用(柔性锂/钠离子电池、柔性锂硫电池、柔性锌空电池)进行对比分析,并对电极材料的结构特性和电化学性能进行了讨论。最后,指出了柔性储能器件目前所面临的问题,并针对此类问题展望了柔性储能器件未来的重点在于新型固态电解质的研发、器件结构的合理设计及封装技术的不断优化。