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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.
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This content will become publicly available on October 1, 2026
Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Grown on Copper Foil as Electrodes for Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors
This study reports a binder-free, catalyst-free method for fabricating vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) directly on copper (Cu) foil using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) applications. This approach eliminates the need for catalyst layers, polymeric binders, or substrate pre-treatments, simplifying electrode design and enhancing electrical integration. The resulting VACNTs form a dense, uniform, and porous array with strong adhesion to the Cu substrate, minimizing contact resistance and improving conductivity. Electrochemical analysis shows gravimetric specific capacitance (Cgrav) and areal specific capacitance (Careal) of 8 F g−1 and 3.5 mF cm−2 at a scan rate of 5 mV/s, with low equivalent series resistance (3.70 Ω) and charge transfer resistance (0.48 Ω), enabling efficient electron transport and rapid ion diffusion. The electrode demonstrates excellent rate capability and retains 92% of its initial specific capacitance after 3000 charge–discharge cycles, indicating strong cycling stability. These results demonstrate the potential of directly grown VACNT-based electrodes for high-performance EDLCs, particularly in applications requiring rapid charge–discharge cycles and sustained energy delivery.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2213923
- PAR ID:
- 10646043
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nanomaterials
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 19
- ISSN:
- 2079-4991
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1506
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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