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

There is intense interest in graphene in fields such as physics, chemistry, and materials science, among others. Interest in graphene's exceptional physical properties, chemical tunability, and potential for applications has generated thousands of publications and an accelerating pace of research, making review of such research timely. Here is an overview of the synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene and related materials (primarily, graphite oxide and its colloidal suspensions and materials made from them), from a materials science perspective.

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Graphene and Graphene Oxide: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

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).

/pdf/a-review-of-electrode-materials-for-electrochemical-2cok5em0bo.pdf

A review of electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors

Electrochemical energy storage technology is based on devices capable of exhibiting high energy density (batteries) or high power density (electrochemical capacitors). There is a growing need, for current and near-future applications, where both high energy and high power densities are required in the same material. Pseudocapacitance, a faradaic process involving surface or near surface redox reactions, offers a means of achieving high energy density at high charge–discharge rates. Here, we focus on the pseudocapacitive properties of transition metal oxides. First, we introduce pseudocapacitance and describe its electrochemical features. Then, we review the most relevant pseudocapacitive materials in aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes. The major challenges for pseudocapacitive materials along with a future outlook are detailed at the end.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01171774/document

Pseudocapacitive oxide materials for high-rate electrochemical energy storage

Since the discovery of mechanically exfoliated graphene in 2004, research on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics, material science, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Highlighting their compelling physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as their various potential applications, in this Review, we summarize the state-of-art progress on the ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with a particular emphasis on their recent advances. First, we introduce the unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures. The assortments of their synthetic methods are then summarized, including insights on their advantages and limitations, alongside some recommendations on suitable characterization techniques. We also discuss in detail the utilization of these ultrathin 2D nanomaterials for wide ranges of potential applications among the electronics/optoelectronics, electrocat...

Recent Advances in Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

In order to make full utilization of the high intrinsic surface area of graphene, recently, porous graphene materials including graphene nanomesh, crumpled graphene and graphene foam, have attracted tremendous attention and research interest, owing to their exceptional porous structure (high surface area, and high pore volume) in combination with the inherent properties of graphene, such as high electronic conductivity, good thermal stability, and excellent mechanical strength. Interestingly, porous graphene materials and their derivatives have been explored in a wide range of applications in the fields of electronic and photonic devices, energy storage, gas separation/storage, oil absorption and sensors. This article reviews recent progress in the synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of porous graphene materials. We aim to highlight the importance of designing different porous structures of graphene to meet future challenges, and the trend on future design of porous graphene materials is analyzed.

Zhuangjun Fan

Papers

Design of advanced porous graphene materials: from graphene nanomesh to 3D architectures

An environmentally friendly and efficient route for the reduction of graphene oxide by aluminum powder

Three-dimensional flower-like and hierarchical porous carbon materials as high-rate performance electrodes for supercapacitors

Preparation of graphene nanosheet/carbon nanotube/polyaniline composite as electrode material for supercapacitors

Electrochemical properties of graphene nanosheet/carbon black composites as electrodes for supercapacitors