skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: 4D Printing of Stretchable Supercapacitors via Hybrid Composite Materials
Abstract Stretchable supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted significant attention in developing power‐independent stretchable electronic systems due to their intrinsic energy storage function and unique mechanical properties. Most current SCs are generally limited by their low stretchability, complicated fabrication process, and insufficient performance and robustness. This study presents a facile method to fabricate arbitrary‐shaped stretchable electrodes via 4D printing of conductive composite from reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotube, and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate. The electrode patterns of an arbitrary shape can be deposited onto prestretched substrates by aerosol‐jet printing, then self‐organized origami (ridge) patterns are generated after releasing the substrates from holding stretchers due to the mismatched strains. The stretchable electrodes demonstrate superior mechanical robustness and stretchability without sacrificing its outstanding electrochemical performance. The symmetric SC prototype possesses a gravimetric capacitance of ≈21.7 F g−1at a current density of 0.5 A g−1and a capacitance retention of ≈85.8% from 0.5 to 5 A g−1. A SC array with arbitrary‐shaped electrodes is also fabricated and connected in series to power light‐emitting diode patterns for large‐scale applications. The proposed method paves avenues for scalable manufacturing of future energy‐storage devices with controlled extensibility and high electrochemical performance.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2024649
PAR ID:
10454407
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Advanced Materials Technologies
Volume:
6
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2365-709X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract Developing intelligent wearable energy storage devices that can endure harsh conditions is of interest for emerging applications in next‐generation electronics. Despite recent success in exploring functional materials for sophisticated self‐adaptivity in energy storage devices, it remains challenging to obtain both high reliability and superior performance. Herein, a novel method for fabricating micropatterned wearable thermoresponsive supercapacitors via direct ink writing (DIW) technique is reported. Thermal runaway of typical electrochemical storage devices with high power delivery capability can cause serious safety problems. The proposed temperature‐dependent structure works as self‐protection against the common thermal runaway issues of electrochemical energy storage devices. Such construction provides an automatic adjustment as high as 8 F g−1in specific capacitance, resulting in an overall heat reduction by up to 40%. The printing resolution of the electrodes (175 µm) is among the best in recently reported planar carbon‐based energy storage devices by DIW technique. Manufacturing‐related parameters such as time‐dependent printing speed and curing temperature are also investigated to fabricate this integrated design with varied materials and accuracy. This strategy shows tremendous promise for future intelligent energy storage devices. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract All‐solid‐state flexible asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) are developed by utilization of graphene nanoribbon (GNR)/Co0.85Se composites as the positive electrode, GNR/Bi2Se3composites as the negative electrode, and polymer‐grafted‐graphene oxide membranes as solid‐state electrolytes. Both GNR/Co0.85Se and GNR/Bi2Se3composite electrodes are developed by a facile one‐step hydrothermal growth method from graphene oxide nanoribbons as the nucleation framework. The GNR/Co0.85Se composite electrode exhibits a specific capacity of 76.4 mAh g−1at a current density of 1 A g−1and the GNR/Bi2Se3composite electrode exhibits a specific capacity of 100.2 mAh g−1at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. Moreover, the stretchable membrane solid‐state electrolytes exhibit superior ionic conductivity of 108.7 mS cm−1. As a result, the flexible ASCs demonstrate an operating voltage of 1.6 V, an energy density of 30.9 Wh kg−1at the power density of 559 W kg−1, and excellent cycling stability with 89% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. All these results demonstrate that this study provides a simple, scalable, and efficient approach to fabricate high performance flexible all‐solid‐state ASCs for energy storage. 
    more » « less
  3. The realization of biomass‐derived supercapacitors of high performance is of practical importance for the manufacturing of supercapacitors from green and renewable sources. Herein, the feasibility of constructing high‐performance supercapacitors from potato‐derived activated carbon (AC) is demonstrated. The potato‐derived AC is produced from potato mash through hydrothermal treatment and high‐temperature activation with KOH as agent. The supercapacitors with aqueous electrolyte of 6 mKOH and a mass loading of 5 mg per electrode achieve a specific gravimetric capacitance of 333.7 F g−1per electrode and a specific energy of 11.75 W h g−1at a specific power of 197.6 W kg−1at a current density of 0.4 A g−1under a nominal compressive stress of 7.96 MPa. The supercapacitors with a mass loading of 10 mg per electrode achieve the maximum specific gravimetric capacitance of 340.6 F g−1and a specific energy of 11.75 W h g−1at a specific power of 194.2 W kg−1at a current density of 0.4 A g−1under a nominal compressive stress of 7.96 MPa. Increasing the compaction of electrode materials under compressive stress has the potential to increase the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. 
    more » « less
  4. Supercapacitor energy storage devices are well suited to meet the rigorous demands of future portable consumer electronics (PCEs) due to their high energy and power densities (i.e., longer battery-life and rapid charging, respectively) and superior operational lifetimes (10 times greater than lithium-ion batteries). To date, research efforts have been narrowly focused on improving the specific capacitance of these materials; however, emerging technologies are increasingly demanding competitive performance with regards to other criteria, including scalability of fabrication and electrochemical stability. In this regard, we developed a polyaniline (PANI) derivative that contains a carbazole unit copolymerized with 2,5-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (Cbz-PANI-1) and determined its optoelectronic properties, electrical conductivity, processability, and electrochemical stability. Importantly, the polymer exhibits good solubility in various solvents, which enables the use of scalable spray-coating and drop-casting methods to fabricate electrodes. Cbz-PANI-1 was used to fabricate electrodes for supercapacitor devices that exhibits a maximum areal capacitance of 64.8 mF cm–2 and specific capacitance of 319 F g–1 at a current density of 0.2 mA cm–2. Moreover, the electrode demonstrates excellent cyclic stability (≈ 83% of capacitance retention) over 1000 CV cycles. Additionally, we demonstrate the charge storage performance of Cbz-PANI-1 in a symmetrical supercapacitor device, which also exhibits excellent cyclic stability (≈ 91% of capacitance retention) over 1000 charge–discharge cycles. 
    more » « less
  5. As wearable electronic devices are becoming an integral part of modern life, there is a vast demand for safe and efficient energy storage devices to power them. While the research and development of microbatteries and supercapacitors (SCs) have significantly progressed, the latter has attracted much attention due to their excellent power density, longevity, and safety. Furthermore, SCs with a 1D fiber shape are preferred because of their ease of integration into today’s smart garments and other wearable devices. Fiber supercapacitors based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) are promising candidates with a unique 1D structure, high electrical and thermal conductivity, outstanding flexibility, excellent mechanical strength, and low gravimetric density. This review aims to serve as a comprehensive publication presenting the fundamentals and recent developments on CNT-fiber-based SCs. The first section gives a general overview of the supercapacitor types based on the charge storage mechanisms and electrode configuration, followed by the various fiber fabrication methods. The next section explores the different strategies used to enhance the electrochemical performance of these SCs, followed by a broad study on their stretchability and multifunctionality. Finally, the review presents the current performance and scalability challenges affecting the CNT-based SCs, highlighting their prospects. 
    more » « less