Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
12:00
Evaluating the Electrochemical Properties of Supercapacitors using the Three-Electrode System
Published on: January 7, 2022
All-solid-state flexible supercapacitors based on papers coated with carbon nanotubes and ionic-liquid-based gel
Yu Jin Kang1, Haegeun Chung, Chi-Hwan Han
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Nanotechnology
|January 18, 2012
Summary
Researchers developed flexible solid-state supercapacitors using carbon nanotubes and paper. These devices offer high power and energy density, demonstrating excellent stability and flexibility for future energy storage.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Flexible energy storage devices are crucial for portable electronics.
- Traditional supercapacitors often lack flexibility and can be bulky.
- Developing cost-effective and high-performance flexible supercapacitors remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and paper.
- To investigate the electrochemical performance, stability, and flexibility of the fabricated devices.
- To explore the potential of CNT/paper-based supercapacitors for low-cost energy storage.
Main Methods:
- Flexible electrodes were prepared by drop-drying CNTs onto regular office paper.
- An ionic-liquid-based gel electrolyte was synthesized using fumed silica and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf(2)]).
- The electrochemical performance, including specific capacitance, power density, and energy density, was evaluated.
Main Results:
- The CNT electrodes exhibited a specific capacitance of 135 F g(-1) at 2 A g(-1).
- The supercapacitors achieved a maximum power density of 164 kW kg(-1) and an energy density of 41 Wh kg(-1).
- The solid-state supercapacitors demonstrated performance comparable to liquid electrolyte-based devices, along with excellent stability and flexibility.
Conclusions:
- All-solid-state flexible supercapacitors fabricated with CNTs and paper show promising high power and energy performance.
- The use of an ionic-liquid-based gel electrolyte contributes to comparable performance with liquid electrolytes.
- These CNT/paper-based supercapacitors hold significant potential for low-cost, high-performance flexible energy storage applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:25MOS Capacitor
A Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitor is a fundamental structure used extensively in semiconductor device technology, particularly in the fabrication of integrated circuits and MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors). The MOS capacitor consists of three layers: a metal gate, a dielectric oxide, and a semiconductor substrate.
The metal gate is typically made from highly conductive materials such as aluminum or polysilicon. Beneath the metal gate lies a thin layer of...
The metal gate is typically made from highly conductive materials such as aluminum or polysilicon. Beneath the metal gate lies a thin layer of...
01:10Energy Stored in Capacitors
A parallel plate capacitor, when connected to a battery, develops a potential difference across its plates. This potential difference is key to the operation of the capacitor, as it determines how much electrical energy the capacitor can store.
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
01:12Energy Stored in a Capacitor
When an archer pulls the string in a bow, he saves the work done in the form of elastic potential energy. When he releases the string, the potential energy is released as kinetic energy of the arrow. A capacitor works on the same principle in which the work done is saved as electric potential energy. The potential energy (UC) could be calculated by measuring the work done (W) to charge the capacitor.
01:26Energy Stored in a Capacitor: Problem Solving
In 1749, Benjamin Franklin coined the word battery for a series of capacitors connected to store energy. Capacitors store electric potential energy that can be released over a short time. This property means capacitors have a wide range of applications.
Capacitor-discharge ignition is a type of ignition system commonly found in small engines where the energy released from a capacitor ignites an induction coil that, in turn, fires the spark plug.
To calculate the energy stored in a capacitor of...
Capacitor-discharge ignition is a type of ignition system commonly found in small engines where the energy released from a capacitor ignites an induction coil that, in turn, fires the spark plug.
To calculate the energy stored in a capacitor of...
01:18Capacitors and Capacitance
A device consisting of two electrical conductors that are separated by a distance and used to store electrical charges is called a capacitor. The space between the conductors is either a vacuum or an insulating material, called a dielectric. Capacitors have many applications, ranging from filtering static from radio reception to energy storage in heart defibrillators.
When the conductors are two identical parallel plates, it is called a parallel plate capacitor. When battery terminals are...
When the conductors are two identical parallel plates, it is called a parallel plate capacitor. When battery terminals are...
03:12Batteries and Fuel Cells
A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...