A novel synthesis of mesoporous carbon microspheres for supercapacitor electrodes

Mesoporous carbon microspheres (MCMs) with the diameters of 0.5-2.0 μm, main mesopore sizes of 2.6-4.0 nm and specific surface areas of 449-1212 m² g⁻¹ are synthesized by a novel hydrothermal emulsion-activated method. The typical MCMs as electrode materials have a specific capacitance of 157 F g⁻¹ at a high current density of 10.0 A g⁻¹ in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. The resultant MCMs electrode materials with high current charge and discharge capability in 6 M KOH aqueous solution provide important prospect for electrode materials in supercapacitors which could offer high power density for electric vehicles.     

Pseudocapacitive performance of hybrid manganese oxide films with multiwalled-CNT additions

In the present study, hybrid manganese oxide films with additions of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by sol-gel process. Manganese acetate was used as the precursors and MWCNTs were added during the process. The effects of MWCNT addition and post heat treatment on the material characteristics and pseudocapacitive performance of the hybrid MWCNT/MnO_x films were investigated. Experimental results showed that manganese oxide was composed of Mn₃O₄ (minor) and Mn₂O₃ (major) phases after heat treatment. MWCNTs served as the template for the growth of manganese oxide films. Among the hybrid films prepared in the present study, manganese oxide films with 0.05 wt.% MWCNT addition heat treated at 350 °C exhibited the best electrochemical performance. The maximum specific capacitance was 340.3 F/g and retained 280.8 F/g (82.5%) after 1000 CV tests. With the addition of MWCNTs, not only the specific capacitance increased but also the reliability improved.     

Electrochemical capacitance of Co3O4 nanowire arrays supported on nickel foam

Co₃O₄ nanowire arrays freely standing on nickel foam are prepared via template-free growth followed by thermal treatment at 300 °C in air. Their morphology is examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical capacitance behavior of the self-supported binderless nanowire array electrode is investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that nanowires are formed by nanoplatelets packed roughly layer by layer. They densely cover the nickel foam substrate and have diameters around 250 nm and the lengths up to around 15 μm. The Co₃O₄ nanowires display a specific capacitance of 746 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 5 mA cm⁻². The capacitance loss is less than 15% after 500 charge-discharge cycles. The columbic efficiency is higher than 93%.     

Simulation of a supercapacitor/Li-ion battery hybrid for pulsed applications

The direct parallel connection of a high energy Li-ion battery (MP 176065 Integration, Saft SA, France) and a supercapacitor (BCAP0310 P250, Maxwell Technologies Inc., Switzerland) was simulated using an available battery model in MATLAB/Simulink for various ratios of capacitor to battery energy content. The Ragone plots for the different combinations were calculated for constant power and pulsed power discharge, respectively. The Ragone plot of the hybrid device for constant power discharge shows an improved performance with respect to the capacitor in terms of available specific energy and an improved performance with respect to the battery in terms of available specific power. However, the combined device never meets the specific performance of the battery at high specific energy or of the supercapacitor at high specific power. For a pulsed discharge, however, the Ragone plots of the combined device show that the performance extends into an energy-power regime inaccessible to the single devices. The improved performance depends on the duty cycle of the pulse pattern and on the relative energy under each pulse.     

Preparation of graphene nanosheet/carbon nanotube/polyaniline composite as electrode material for supercapacitors

Graphene nanosheet/carbon nanotube/polyaniline (GNS/CNT/PANI) composite is synthesized via in situ polymerization. GNS/CNT/PANI composite exhibits the specific capacitance of 1035 F g⁻¹ (1 mV s⁻¹) in 6 M of KOH, which is a little lower than GNS/PANI composite (1046 F g⁻¹), but much higher than pure PANI (115 F g⁻¹) and CNT/PANI composite (780 F g⁻¹). Though a small amount of CNTs (1 wt.%) is added into GNS, the cycle stability of GNS/CNT/PANI composite is greatly improved due to the maintenance of highly conductive path as well as mechanical strength of the electrode during doping/dedoping processes. After 1000 cycles, the capacitance decreases only 6% of initial capacitance compared to 52% and 67% for GNS/PANI and CNT/PANI composites.     

A dye-sensitized photo-supercapacitor based on PProDOT-Et2 thick films

A photo-rechargeable supercapacitor (photo-supercapacitor, or PSC) is studied using a N3-dye adsorbed TiO₂ photoelectrode and PProDOT-Et₂ poly(3,3-diethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno-[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepine) polymer films as supercapacitor materials for electron storage. The PSC device, comprising a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and a supercapacitor (SC), can store the photo-to-electric energy. The PProDOT-Et₂ films are potentiostatically electropolymerized to form thick films (ca. 0.5 mm) with a specific capacitance of ca. 6.5 F cm⁻². A symmetrical (p/p) supercapacitor, with PProDOT-Et₂ coated on both electrodes, is also characterized before fabricating the three-electrode PSC. The PSC is tested under light illumination of 100 mW cm⁻², and attaining a photocharged voltage of 0.75 V and a discharged energy density of 21.3 μWh cm⁻².     

Electrochemically synthesized nanocrystalline spinel thin film for high performance supercapacitor

Spinels are not known for their supercapacitive nature. Here, we have explored electrochemically synthesized nanostructured NiCo₂O₄ spinel thin-film electrode for electrochemical supercapacitors. The nanostructured NiCo₂O₄ spinel thin film exhibited a high specific capacitance value of 580 F g⁻¹ and an energy density of 32 Wh kg⁻¹ at the power density of 4 kW kg⁻¹, accompanying with good cyclic stability.     

Brushed-on flexible supercapacitor sheets using a nanocomposite of polyaniline and carbon nanotubes

A simple, two-step method for constructing flexible sheets of supercapacitors is described. The construction is based on painting a sheet of flexible plastic electrolyte with a composite material made of a conducting polymer and carbon nanotubes. The total capacitance of the supercapacitor consists of pseudocapacitance produced by the polymer and electrical double-layer capacitance produced by carbon nanotubes. Stacks of the capacitor sheets were used to light up a system of three light-emitting diodes. The method suggests an inexpensive and potentially high-throughput approach for making flexible supercapacitors.     

Enhanced electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity of activated mesoporous carbon materials containing nickel inclusions

Electrochemical properties of activated ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) containing nickel inclusions are investigated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques. The hard-template-route prepared OMC is of structurally well-ordered two-dimensional hexagonal structure with a high specific surface area of 1896.95 cm² g⁻¹, a pore volume of 1.781 cm³ g⁻¹ and a pore size of 5.1 nm, respectively. It is shown that OMC/0.3Ni electrode displays the highest specific capacitance of 186.1 Fg⁻¹, almost 1.4 times higher than that of pure OMC electrode. The hydrogen storage capacity of pure OMC electrode is 87 mAh g⁻¹ and there exists no discharge platform. With the amount of nickel addition increasing, there appears a relatively stable discharge platform, and the discharge capacity reaches a maximum of 170 mAh g⁻¹ as the molar ratio of Ni:OMC is 0.3, almost two times higher than that of pure OMC electrode. The electrochemical properties of OMC can be greatly improved with incorporation of nickel powders. The Ni activated OMC electrodes display a high capacity retainability with strong resistance against oxidation and corrosion.     

Copper molybdenum sulfide: A novel pseudocapacitive electrode material for electrochemical energy storage device

The ever-growing demand for energy storage devices necessitates the development of novel energy storage materials with high performance. In this work, copper molybdenum sulfide (Cu₂MoS₄) nanostructures were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal method and examined as an advanced electrode material for supercapacitor. Physico-chemical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction, laser Raman, field emission scanning electron microscope with elemental mapping, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed the formation of I-phase Cu₂MoS₄. Electrochemical analysis using cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge-discharge (CD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed the pseudocapacitive nature of charge-storage via ion intercalation/de-intercalation occurring in the Cu₂MoS₄ electrode. The Cu₂MoS₄ electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 127 F g^?1 obtained from the CD measured using a constant current density of 1.5 mA cm^?2. Further, Cu₂MoS₄ symmetric supercapacitor (SSC) device delivered a specific capacitance of 28.25 F g^?1 at a current density of 0.25 mA cm^?2 with excellent rate capability. The device acquired high energy and power density of 3.92 Wh kg^?1 and 1250 W kg^?1, respectively. The Nyquist and Bode analysis further confirmed the pseudocapacitive nature of Cu₂MoS₄ electrodes. The experimental results indicate the potential application of Cu₂MoS₄ nanostructures as a novel electrode material for energy storage devices.