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

Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at low temperature (<100 degrees C) which represent a new class of solvents with nonmolecular, ionic character. Even though the first representative has been known since 1914, ionic liquids have only been investigated as solvents for transition metal catalysis in the past ten years. Publications to date show that replacing an organic solvent by an ionic liquid can lead to remarkable improvements in well-known processes. Ionic liquids form biphasic systems with many organic product mixtures. This gives rise to the possibility of a multiphase reaction procedure with easy isolation and recovery of homogeneous catalysts. In addition, ionic liquids have practically no vapor pressure which facilitates product separation by distillation. There are also indications that switching from a normal organic solvent to an ionic liquid can lead to novel and unusual chemical reactivity. This opens up a wide field for future investigations into this new class of solvents in catalytic applications.

Ionic Liquids-New "Solutions" for Transition Metal Catalysis.

For economical and ecological reasons, synthetic chemists are confronted with the increasing obligation of optimizing their synthetic methods. Maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs in the production of molecules and macromolecules constitutes, therefore, one of the most exciting challenges of synthetic chemistry.1-3 The ideal synthesis should produce the desired product in 100% yield and selectivity, in a safe and environmentally acceptable process.4 It is now well recognized that organometallic homogeneous catalysis offers one of the most promising approaches for solving this basic problem.2 Indeed, many of these homogeneous processes occur in high yields and selectivities and under mild reaction conditions. Most importantly, the steric and electronic properties of these catalysts can be tuned by varying the metal center and/or the ligands, thus rendering tailor-made molecular and macromolecular structures accessible.5,6 Despite the fact that various efficient methods, based on organometallic homogeneous catalysis, have been developed over the last 30 years on the laboratory scale, the industrial use of homogeneous catalytic processes is relatively limited.7 The separation of the products from the reaction mixture, the recovery of the catalysts, and the need for organic solvents are the major disadvantages in the homogeneous catalytic process. For these reasons, many homogeneous processes are not used on an industrial scale despite their benefits. Among the various approaches to address these problems, liquidliquid biphasic catalysis (“biphasic catalysis”) has emerged as one of the most important alternatives.6-11 The concept of this system implies that the molecular catalyst is soluble in only one phase whereas the substrates/products remain in the other phase. The reaction can take place in one (or both) of the phases or at the interface. In most cases, the catalyst phase can be reused and the products/substrates are simply removed from the reaction mixture by decantation. Moreover, in these biphasic systems it is possible to extract the primary products during the reaction and thus modulate the product selectivity.12 For a detailed discussion about this and other concepts of homogeneous catalyst immobilization, the reader is referred elsewhere.6,7 These biphasic systems might combine the advantages of both homogeneous (greater catalyst efficiency and mild reaction conditions) and heterogeneous (ease of catalyst recycling and separation of the products) catalysis. The advent of water-soluble organometallic complexes, especially those based on sulfonated phosphorus-containing ligands, has enabled various biphasic catalytic reactions to be conducted on an industrial scale.13-15 However, the use of water as a * Corresponding author. Fax: ++ 55 51 3316 73 04. E-mail: dupont@iq.ufrgs.br. 3667 Chem. Rev. 2002, 102, 3667−3692

https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~joyce/referance/gump/IL/Chem.%20Rev.%202002,%20102,%203667.pdf

Ionic liquid (molten salt) phase organometallic catalysis.

Characterization and comparison of hydrophilic and hydrophobic room temperature ionic liquids incorporating the imidazolium cation

Ionic liquids as electrolytes

Room temperature ionic liquids of alkylimidazolium cations and fluoroanions

The performance of a double-layer capacitor (DLC) composed of activated carbon electrodes and 1--ethyl-3-methylimidazolium fluoride (EMIF).2.3HF, which has extremely high conductivity with low viscosity, was examined and compared with those using the popular ionic liquid EMIBF 4 , conventional aqueous electrolyte 35 wt % H 2 SO 4 , and nonaqueous electrolyte 1 M Et 3 MeNBF 4 /propylene carbonate. The DLC using EMIF.2.3HF showed an intermediate capacitance and internal resistance between the aqueous and nonaqueous electrolyte systems due to its intermediate double-layer capacitance and electrolytic conductivity. EMIF.2.3HF afforded much higher capacitance than EMIBF 4 even at low temperatures, however, it had a lower decomposition voltage (∼2 V), resulting in lower energy density. The capacitance of EMIF.2.3HF was extremely dependent on the applied voltage.

Application of Low-Viscosity Ionic Liquid to the Electrolyte of Double-Layer Capacitors

Acidic 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium fluoride: a new room temperature ionic liquid

The preparation, physical and chemical properties, and application of ionic liquids at ambient conditions are reviewed focusing on the salts of alkylimidazolium cations and fluoroanions.

Yasuhiko Ito

Papers

Room temperature ionic liquids of alkylimidazolium cations and fluoroanions

Application of Low-Viscosity Ionic Liquid to the Electrolyte of Double-Layer Capacitors

Acidic 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium fluoride: a new room temperature ionic liquid

Room Temperature Ionic Liquids of Alkylimidazolium Cations and Fluoroanions

Structural characteristics of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bifluoride: HF-deficient form of a highly conductive room temperature molten salt