Nanostructured Thick Electrode Strategies toward Enhanced Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Improving electrochemical energy storage devices requires maximizing active material ratios.
• Thick electrodes present challenges in maintaining ionic and electronic conductivity.
• Balancing active material loading with conductivity is crucial for performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and compare thick supercapacitor electrodes using scalable methods.
• To analyze factors influencing thick electrode performance, including porosity and tortuosity.
• To optimize electrode design for enhanced energy storage capacity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized commercially available carbons for electrode fabrication.
• Employed conventional, scalable methods: spray coating and freeze-casting.
• Investigated various binders and conductive carbons.
• Analyzed electrode porosity and tortuosity.

Main Results:

• Spray-coated electrodes achieved high areal capacitances.
• Capacitance values of 1428 mF cm^-2 at 0.3 mm and 2459 F cm^-2 at 0.6 mm thickness were recorded.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of scalable fabrication techniques for thick electrodes.

Conclusions:

• Scalable methods like spray coating are effective for producing high-performance thick supercapacitor electrodes.
• Electrode design factors such as porosity and tortuosity significantly impact performance.
• The developed thick electrodes offer a promising route for advanced energy storage solutions.