Electrochemical capacitors, also called supercapacitors, store energy using either ion adsorption (electrochemical double layer capacitors) or fast surface redox reactions (pseudo-capacitors). They can complement or replace batteries in electrical energy storage and harvesting applications, when high power delivery or uptake is needed. A notable improvement in performance has been achieved through recent advances in understanding charge storage mechanisms and the development of advanced nanostructured materials. The discovery that ion desolvation occurs in pores smaller than the solvated ions has led to higher capacitance for electrochemical double layer capacitors using carbon electrodes with subnanometre pores, and opened the door to designing high-energy density devices using a variety of electrolytes. Combination of pseudo-capacitive nanomaterials, including oxides, nitrides and polymers, with the latest generation of nanostructured lithium electrodes has brought the energy density of electrochemical capacitors closer to that of batteries. The use of carbon nanotubes has further advanced micro-electrochemical capacitors, enabling flexible and adaptable devices to be made. Mathematical modelling and simulation will be the key to success in designing tomorrow's high-energy and high-power devices.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02417326/document

Materials for electrochemical capacitors

In this critical review, metal oxides-based materials for electrochemical supercapacitor (ES) electrodes are reviewed in detail together with a brief review of carbon materials and conducting polymers. Their advantages, disadvantages, and performance in ES electrodes are discussed through extensive analysis of the literature, and new trends in material development are also reviewed. Two important future research directions are indicated and summarized, based on results published in the literature: the development of composite and nanostructured ES materials to overcome the major challenge posed by the low energy density of ES (476 references).

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A review of electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors

The interest in nanoscale materials stems from the fact that new properties are acquired at this length scale and, equally important, that these properties * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone, 404-8940292; fax, 404-894-0294; e-mail, mostafa.el-sayed@ chemistry.gatech.edu. † Case Western Reserve UniversitysMillis 2258. ‡ Phone, 216-368-5918; fax, 216-368-3006; e-mail, burda@case.edu. § Georgia Institute of Technology. 1025 Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 1025−1102

Chemistry and properties of nanocrystals of different shapes.

Electrochemical measurements can distinguish between different types of energy storage materials and their underlying mechanisms.

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Where Do Batteries End and Supercapacitors Begin

Graphene’s success has shown that it is possible to create stable, single and few-atom-thick layers of van der Waals materials, and also that these materials can exhibit fascinating and technologically useful properties. Here we review the state-of-the-art of 2D materials beyond graphene. Initially, we will outline the different chemical classes of 2D materials and discuss the various strategies to prepare single-layer, few-layer, and multilayer assembly materials in solution, on substrates, and on the wafer scale. Additionally, we present an experimental guide for identifying and characterizing single-layer-thick materials, as well as outlining emerging techniques that yield both local and global information. We describe the differences that occur in the electronic structure between the bulk and the single layer and discuss various methods of tuning their electronic properties by manipulating the surface. Finally, we highlight the properties and advantages of single-, few-, and many-layer 2D materials in...

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Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities in Two-Dimensional Materials Beyond Graphene

Preparation of Ruthenic Acid Nanosheets and Utilization of Its Interlayer Surface for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was conducted on a series of hydrous ruthenium oxides, RuO(2).xH(2)O, (x = 0.5, 0.3, 0) and a layered ruthenic acid hydrate (H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O) in order to evaluate their protonic and electronic conduction. The capacitor response frequency was observed at lower frequency for RuO(2).xH(2)O with higher water content, which was suggested to be due to electrolyte exhaustion within the film and/or utilization of hydrated interparticle micropores that have high ionic resistance. Analysis of the impedance data indicated that the charge-transfer resistance through the film is not significantly affected by the water content in RuO(2).xH(2)O, and the capacitor frequency response is dominated by the protonic conduction. The capacitor response frequency of layered H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O was comparable to RuO(2).0.5H(2)O. The high specific capacitance at low frequency for layered H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O is attributed to the utilization of the expandable hydrous interlayer, which accounts for the ionic conduction. The present results demonstrate the importance of hydrous regions (either interparticle or interlayer) to allow appreciable protonic conduction for high energy and high power electrochemical capacitors.

Proton and electron conductivity in hydrous ruthenium oxides evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy: the origin of large capacitance.

Ongoing technological advances in such disparate areas as consumer electronics, transportation, and energy generation and distribution are often hindered by the capabilities of current energy storage/conversion systems, thereby driving the search for high-performance power sources that are also economically viable, safe to operate, and have limited environmental impact. Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are a class of energy-storage devices that fill the gap between the high specific energy of batteries and the high specific power of conventional electrostatic capacitors. The most widely available commercial EC, based on a symmetric configuration of two high-surface-area carbon electrodes and a nonaqueous electrolyte, delivers specific energies of up to ∼6 Whkg–1 with sub-second response times. Specific energy can be enhanced by moving to asymmetric configurations and selecting electrode materials (e.g., transition metal oxides) that store charge via rapid and reversible faradaic reactions. Asymmetric EC designs also circumvent the main limitation of aqueous electrolytes by extending their operating voltage window beyond the thermodynamic 1.2 V limit to operating voltages approaching ∼2 V, resulting in high-performance ECs that will satisfy the challenging power and energy demands of emerging technologies and in a more economically and environmentally friendly form than conventional symmetric ECs and batteries.

/pdf/asymmetric-electrochemical-capacitors-stretching-the-limits-11ytshcpi4.pdf

Asymmetric electrochemical capacitors—Stretching the limits of aqueous electrolytes

Over the past decade, interest in electrochemical capacitors as an energy-storage technology has increased enormously, spurring the development and evaluation of a large number of new materials and device configurations. This perspective article aims to propose guidelines by which new materials and devices should be evaluated, and how resulting data should be reported with respect to critical metrics such as capacitance, energy and power.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.0851707jes/pdf

Wataru Sugimoto

Papers

Preparation of Ruthenic Acid Nanosheets and Utilization of Its Interlayer Surface for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Proton and electron conductivity in hydrous ruthenium oxides evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy: the origin of large capacitance.

Asymmetric electrochemical capacitors—Stretching the limits of aqueous electrolytes

Perspective—A Guideline for Reporting Performance Metrics with Electrochemical Capacitors: From Electrode Materials to Full Devices

Charge storage mechanism of nanostructured anhydrous and hydrous ruthenium-based oxides