Highly Flexible Fiber Supercapacitors with Ultra-High Energy Density for Energy Storage Electronic Textiles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Storage
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Fiber-shaped supercapacitors (FSCs) are crucial for wearable electronics.
• Scalable fabrication of high-performance flexible fiber electrodes remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable strategy for high energy density, mechanically flexible FSCs.
• To integrate novel materials for enhanced electrochemical performance.

Main Methods:

• Wet-spun MXene nanosheets/slide-ring polyrotaxane/PEDOT:PSS hybrid fibers were fabricated.
• In situ silver nanowire (AgNW) functionalization was employed.
• Helical twisted copper (Cu) fiber current collectors were integrated.

Main Results:

• The hybrid fibers demonstrated high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and excellent mechanical properties.
• The assembled FSCs achieved a volumetric capacitance of 860.1 F cm^-3.
• High energy density (76.6 mWh cm^-3) and power density (776.5 mW cm^-3) were obtained with 96.6% capacitance retention after 10,000 bending cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed FSCs offer superior energy density and flexibility for wearable applications.
• The scalable fabrication strategy overcomes limitations in current flexible energy storage solutions.
• These FSCs show significant potential for powering miniaturized electronic textiles.