A large-area, conductive, and flexible membrane made from the stabilized aqueous solution of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is successfully fabricated using an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. A low-voltage operation of EPD (∼3 volts) allows a robust consolidation of RGO layers desirably aligned in the in-plane direction through the cohesive electrophoretic squeezing force near the current collector. Transferring the deposited RGO layers to arbitrary substrates or achieving as a free-standing form, two methods of "chemical etching" and "electrochemical etching" are developed to detach the RGO layers from the EPD current collector without damaging the deposited RGO. Further reducing the free-standing RGO membrane by thermal annealing up to 1000 °C, a graphite-like architecture is restored (d-spacing at 3.42 Å with C/O ratio at 16.66) and the electrical conductivity increases as high as 5.51 × 10(5) S/m. The tightly-consolidated and securely-detached RGO membrane allows the free-standing and flexible features and highly conductive characteristics, which are further developed during thermal treatment. Because of the facile scale-up nature of the EPD process and RGO solution, the developed methodology has a considerable potential to be applied to various energy storage devices, flexible conductive coatings, and other electrochemical systems.
Portable energy storage devices have gained special attention due to the growing demand for portable electronics. Herein, an all-solid-state supercapacitor is successfully fabricated based on a poly(vinyl alcohol)-H3PO4 (PVA-H3PO4) polymer electrolyte and a reduced graphene oxide (RGO) membrane electrode prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The RGO electrode fabricated by EPD contains an in-plane layer-by-layer alignment and a moderate porosity that accommodate the electrolyte ions. The all-solid-state RGO supercapacitor is thoroughly tested to give high specific volumetric capacitance (108 F cm(-3)) and excellent energy and power densities (7.5 Wh cm(-3) and 2.9 W cm(-3), respectively). In addition, the all-solid-state RGO supercapacitor exhibits an ultralong lifetime for as long as 180 days (335 000 cycles), which is an ultrahigh cycling capability for a solid-state supercapacitor. The RGO is also tested for being used as a transparent supercapacitor electrode demonstrating its possible use in various transparent optoelectronic devices. Due to the facile scale-up capability of the EPD process and RGO dispersion, the developed all-solid-state supercapacitor is highly applicable to large-area portable energy storage devices.
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