Carbon nanotube network film directly grown on carbon cloth for high-performance solid-state flexible supercapacitors

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received increasing attention as electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. We herein present a straightforward method to synthesize CNT films directly on carbon cloths as electrodes for all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors (AFSCs). The as-made highly conductive electrodes possess a three-dimensional (3D) network architecture for fast ion diffusion and good flexibility, leading to an AFSC with a specific capacitance of 106.1 F g−1, an areal capacitance of 38.75 mF cm−2, an ultralong cycle life of 100,000 times (capacitance retention: 99%), a good rate capability (can scan at 1000 mV s−1, at which the capacitance is still ~37.8% of that at 5 mV s−1), a high energy density (2.4 μW h cm−2) and a high power density (19 mW cm−2). Moreover, our AFSC maintains excellent electrochemical attributes even with serious shape deformation (bending, folding, etc), high mechanical pressure (63 kPa) and a wide temperature window (up to 100° C). After charging for only 5 s, three such AFSC devices connected in series can efficiently power a red round LED for 60 s. Our work could pave the way for the design of practical AFSCs, which are expected to be used for various flexible portable/wearable electronic devices in the future.