Biosourced quinones for high-performance environmentally benign electrochemical capacitors via interface engineering

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Growing demand for sustainable energy storage solutions.
• Need for advanced electrode materials that are both biosourced and biodegradable.
• Limitations of conventional electrode materials in terms of environmental impact and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and investigate biosourced organic electrode materials for high-performance electrochemical capacitors.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance, stability, and energy storage capabilities of Sepia melanin and catechin/tannic acid (Ctn/TA) based electrodes.
• To demonstrate the potential of these materials for sustainable renewable energy storage.

Main Methods:

• Solution-deposition of Sepia melanin and Ctn/TA on carbon paper to create high-performance interfaces.
• Fabrication of symmetric electrochemical capacitors using these engineered electrodes.
• Electrochemical characterization including capacitance, cycle life, coulombic efficiency, power density, and energy density measurements in aqueous electrolytes.

Main Results:

• Sepia melanin and Ctn/TA electrodes achieved high capacitance values of 1355 mF cm⁻² (452 F g⁻¹) and 898 mF cm⁻² (300 F g⁻¹), respectively.
• Capacitors demonstrated excellent stability with up to 100% capacitance retention over 50,000 (Sepia melanin) and 10,000 (Ctn/TA) cycles.
• High power densities (up to 1274 mW cm⁻²) and energy densities (up to 0.65 mWh cm⁻²) were achieved for both electrode materials.

Conclusions:

• Biosourced and biodegradable organic electrode materials, specifically Sepia melanin and Ctn/TA, show significant promise for sustainable electrochemical energy storage.
• The engineered electrode interfaces facilitate high capacitance and long-term cycling stability.
• These findings contribute to the development of environmentally friendly and high-performance energy storage devices.