High-performance flexible supercapacitors based on electrochemically tailored three-dimensional reduced graphene...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Developing flexible and high-performance energy storage devices is crucial for wearable electronics.
• Graphene-based materials offer excellent electrical conductivity and surface area for supercapacitors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a simple method for fabricating porous electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (pErGO) networks on copper wire.
• To evaluate the performance of these pErGO networks in solid-state supercapacitors for flexible applications.

Main Methods:

• Growing pErGO networks on copper wire modified with galvanostatically deposited copper foam.
• Fabricating solid-state supercapacitors using the pErGO-copper wire as electrodes.
• Testing electrochemical performance, including specific capacitance, cycling stability, and energy/power density.

Main Results:

• Achieved a specific capacitance of 81±3 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ with a polyvinyl alcohol/H₃PO₄ gel electrolyte.
• Demonstrated excellent cycling stability, retaining 94.5% of capacitance after 5000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹.
• Obtained high energy density (11.25 Wh kg⁻¹) and power density (5 kW kg⁻¹), with stable performance under various bending conditions.

Conclusions:

• The pErGO-based wire supercapacitor is scalable, flexible, and exhibits robust electrochemical performance.
• This technology holds significant potential for integration into smart textiles and wearable devices due to its flexibility and durability.