Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Evaluating the Electrochemical Properties of Supercapacitors using the Three-Electrode System
Published on: January 7, 2022
High energy supercapattery with an ionic liquid solution of LiClO4
1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Energy and Sustainability Research Division, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK. George.Chen@nottingham.ac.uk and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100 China.
A novel supercapattery utilizing an ionic liquid electrolyte demonstrates high energy density. This hybrid device combines a lithium battery electrode with an activated carbon supercapacitor electrode for enhanced performance.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Supercapatteries offer a hybrid approach to energy storage, combining the high power density of supercapacitors with the high energy density of batteries.
- Ionic liquid electrolytes are explored for their stability and wide electrochemical windows, crucial for advanced energy storage devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically and practically demonstrate a supercapattery using a specific ionic liquid electrolyte.
- To investigate the electrochemical behavior of lithium metal and activated carbon in this ionic liquid.
- To evaluate the energy storage performance of the fabricated supercapattery.
Main Methods:
- Electrochemical deposition and dissolution of lithium metal on platinum and glass carbon electrodes.
- Cyclic voltammetry (CV), AC impedance spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis.
- Galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling to determine energy density.
Main Results:
- The ionic liquid electrolyte containing 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tri(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate (BMPyrrFAP), gamma-butyrolactone (γ-GBL), and LiClO4 proved stable for lithium metal.
- A supercapattery with a lithium negative electrode and activated carbon (Act-C) positive electrode achieved a specific energy of 230 W h kg(-1).
- Activated carbon exhibited electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) behavior and higher specific capacitance in the ionic liquid compared to aqueous solutions.
Conclusions:
- The developed ionic liquid electrolyte is suitable for supercapattery applications with lithium battery electrodes.
- The supercapattery design demonstrates significant potential for high-performance energy storage.
- Activated carbon performs effectively as a positive electrode material in this ionic liquid electrolyte, outperforming its performance in aqueous solutions.
More Related Videos
08:59Synthesizing a Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Supercapacitors, Assembling a Supercapacitor Using a Coin Cell, and Measuring Gel Electrolyte Performance
Published on: November 30, 2022
14:42Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
Published on: April 25, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Energy Stored in a Capacitor: Problem Solving
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...
Energy Stored in a Capacitor
MOS Capacitor
The metal gate is typically made from highly conductive materials such as aluminum or polysilicon. Beneath the metal gate lies a thin layer of...
Capacitor With A Dielectric
Dielectrics are non-conducting materials with no free or loosely bound electrons. When a dielectric is...
Energy Stored in Capacitors
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...
Capacitors and Capacitance
When the conductors are two identical parallel plates, it is called a parallel plate capacitor. When battery terminals are...