Recyclable Polysaccharide-Based Supramolecular Ionogel Electrolytes for Flexible Supercapacitors

Growing concerns over the environmental impact of fossil fuels have spurred the development of green and renewable materials for advanced electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices. Herein, a supramolecular ionogel polymer electrolyte based on glycol chitosan (GC) and imidazolium-based ionic liquids (IL) was developed. The as-fabricated optimized GC_0.1-DMSO₁/IL₁ supramolecular ionogel electrolytes exhibited an impressive conductivity of 4.4 mS cm^-1 at 25 °C, enabling a supercapacitor with a stable voltage window of 2.5 V. The supercapacitor exhibited a specific capacitance of 40.0 F g^-1 at a current density of 1 A g^-1 and achieved a maximum energy density of 22.2 Wh kg^-1 at a power density of 770 W kg^-1. After over 700 charge-discharge cycles at 1 Ag^-1, a capacitance retention of 94.7% was obtained. Moreover, the noncovalent bonded GC_0.1-DMSO₁/IL₁ could be easily recycled in water without generating any environmental hazards. This strategy offers new insights into the potential of polysaccharide-based supramolecular ionogel electrolytes for flexible and sustainable EES applications.