Review on Hydrogel-Based Flexible Supercapacitors for Wearable Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Electroconductive hydrogels are crucial for supercapacitor development.
• Significant research has focused on hydrogels for flexible supercapacitors.
• Hydrogels offer unique properties like stretchability and self-healability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status of hydrogels for flexible supercapacitor production.
• To discuss the electrochemical properties and electromechanical performance of various hydrogels.
• To highlight the importance and challenges of hydrogel-based supercapacitors for wearable applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on hydrogel materials for supercapacitors.
• Analysis of diverse hydrogel composites including carbon-based, cellulose-based, and conductive-polymer-based hydrogels.
• Evaluation of electrochemical properties such as capacitance, energy density, and cycling stability.

Main Results:

• Hydrogels exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, stretchability, self-healability, and low-temperature tolerance.
• Various hydrogel composites demonstrate promising performance for flexible supercapacitors.
• Hydrogels are identified as key materials for sustainable flexible supercapacitor fabrication.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogels play a central role in the assembly of flexible supercapacitors for energy storage.
• Further development is needed to address current challenges in hydrogel-based supercapacitor technology.
• Hydrogels represent a sustainable pathway for the future of flexible supercapacitors in wearable applications.