Superior-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes via Convenient Electrochemical Techniques

Description

Supercapacitors play a key role in future industries (e.g, transportation and customer electronics industries). However, the difficulty in achieving electrode materials with not only high power and energy densities but also high cycling durability at low cost remains a major obstacle, restricting supercapacitors from wide commercial applications. Here in this proposal, with joint efforts of both electrochemistry and mechanical engineering, we propose a novel type of supercapacitor electrode of high power densities and durability. The proposed electrodes can be fabricated at room temperature using only facile solution-based electrochemical techniques that are low-cost and highly compatible with mass production. Furthermore, we will also carry out research work from the mechanical engineering aspects to obtain the optimized structure designs with desired mechanical durability and use them to guide the experimental work. Built on our preliminary research work, we will achieve Ni-based coaxial nanocomposite electrode materials with both superior performance and an attractively low manufacturing cost: remarkable specific capacitance (³800 F/g at 5 A/g); superior cycling stability (retention rate³85%, after at least 5,000 charge/discharge cycles) at high charge/discharge current density (³10 A/g); manufacturing cost£1/10 of that of the current commercial products (specific capacitance generally lower than 200 F/g for current commercial products).