Abstract
Electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are usually charged by applying a potential difference across the positive and negative electrodes. In this paper, we demonstrated that EDLCs can be charged by heating. An open circuit voltage of 80-300 mV has been observed by heating the supercapacitor to 65 °C. The charge generated at high temperature can be stored in the device after its returning to the room temperature, thus allowing the lighting up of LEDs by connecting the "thermally charged" supercapacitors in a series. The underlying mechanism is related to a thermo-electrochemical process that enhances the kinetics of Faradaic process at the electrode surface (e.g., surface redox reaction of functional group, or chemical adsorption/desorption of electrolyte ions) at higher temperature. Effects of "thermal charging" times, activation voltage, rate, and times on "thermally charged" voltage are studied and possible mechanisms are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5784-5790 |
| Journal | Nano Letters |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Sept 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publication details (e.g. title, author(s), publication statuses and dates) are captured on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis at the time of record harvesting from the data source. Suggestions for further amendments or supplementary information can be sent to [email protected].Research Keywords
- "thermal charging"
- chemical adsorption/desorption
- electrical double layer
- Supercapacitor
- surface functional group
- surface redox reaction