Ultrastretchable and superior healable supercapacitors based on a double cross-linked hydrogel electrolyte

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Polyvinyl alcohol-based gel electrolytes lack sufficient stretchability and healability for advanced supercapacitors.
• Existing materials struggle to meet the demands of multifunctional, wearable energy storage devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel hydrogel electrolyte with enhanced stretchability, ionic conductivity, and self-healing properties.
• To fabricate and characterize supercapacitors utilizing this hydrogel for improved performance and durability.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a copolymer hydrogel cross-linked with Laponite and graphene oxide.
• Fabricated supercapacitors using the hydrogel electrolyte and wrinkled-structure electrodes.
• Tested mechanical stretchability, ionic conductivity, and healability under infrared light and heating.

Main Results:

• The hydrogel exhibited high mechanical stretchability (1000%) and excellent ionic conductivity.
• Supercapacitors demonstrated repeated self-healing performance and retained high stretchability (900%) after repair.
• The material showed potential for functionalization and application in various wearable energy devices.

Conclusions:

• The novel hydrogel electrolyte overcomes limitations of traditional materials, offering superior stretchability and healability.
• This advancement enables the development of robust and multifunctional supercapacitors for next-generation wearable electronics.
• The versatile hydrogel platform can be extended to other energy storage applications.