Highly Transparent and Flexible Zn-Ti₃C₂T MXene Hybrid Capacitors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Storage
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• The demand for transparent and flexible energy storage is growing for wearable electronics.
• Zinc ion hybrid capacitors (ZIHCs) offer a promising solution by combining supercapacitor and battery characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a transparent and flexible ZIHC with high performance.
• To explore the potential multifunctional applications of the developed ZIHC.

Main Methods:

• A transparent and flexible ZIHC was constructed using a patterned zinc foil anode, a transparent MXene cathode, and a ZnSO4-polyacrylamide hydrogel electrolyte.
• Performance metrics including capacitance, transmittance, cycle life, and flexibility were evaluated.
• The device's response to electric fields was investigated.

Main Results:

• The ZIHC achieved a capacitance of 318 μF cm⁻² with 94% transmittance.
• It maintained 76% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles.
• The device exhibited excellent flexibility and sensitivity to electric fields.

Conclusions:

• A high-performance, transparent, and flexible ZIHC was successfully developed.
• The ZIHC demonstrates potential for multifunctional applications, including electric field sensing in wearable devices.