All-nanotube stretchable supercapacitor with low equivalent series resistance

Abstract

We report high-performance, stable, low equivalent series resistance all-nanotube stretchable supercapacitor based on single-walled carbon nanotube film electrodes and a boron nitride nanotube separator. A layer of boron nitride nanotubes, fabricated by airbrushing from isopropanol dispersion, allows avoiding problem of high internal resistance and short-circuiting of supercapacitors. The device, fabricated in a two-electrode test cell configuration, demonstrates electrochemical double layer capacitance mechanism and retains 96% of its initial capacitance after 20 000 electrochemical charging/discharging cycles with the specific capacitance value of 82 F g−1 and low equivalent series resistance of 4.6 Ω. The stretchable supercapacitor prototype withstands at least 1000 cycles of 50% strain with a slight increase in the volumetric capacitance from 0.4 to 0.5 mF cm−3 and volumetric power density from 32 mW cm−3 to 40 mW cm−3 after stretching, which is higher than reported before. Moreover, a low resistance of 250 Ω for the as-fabricated stretchable prototype was obtained, which slightly decreased with the strain applied up to 200 Ω. Simple fabrication process of such devices can be easily extended making the all-nanotube stretchable supercapacitors, presented here, promising elements in future wearable devices.

Advances on Emerging Materials for Flexible Supercapacitors: Current Trends and Beyond

“…[ 75 ] Today, the same kind of research has advanced by bridging the science of boron nitrides into the picture by configuring the boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) as a separator between the SWCNT electrodes to study the stretchability and work in the two‐electrode system. [ 63 ] The boron nanotubes (BN) are now being explored as they have the complete alternating B and N atoms in tubular structure and similar to the thermal stability of the CNT. [ 76 ] Perhaps due to the wide bandgap the BN are subspecies to insulating property and research in BN based materials for flexible electrodes by converting them conductive is a space for opportunity to build new flexible nanomaterials.…”

Progress in supercapacitors: roles of two dimensional nanotubular materials

“…Nanotube networks can be used as ultrathin separators made of BNNTs, where 0.5 m thickness is reported, 231 but the most developed role of nanotube-based materials is in constituting supercapacitor electrodes. The reason why nanotubes perform better than, e.g., amorphous carbon (which is a cheaper solution) is believed to be nanotube organization in the hierarchical porous structure, with both micro-and mesopores.…”

Investigations on performance of PEDOT:PSS/V2O5 hybrid symmetric supercapacitor with redox electrolyte

“…Different forms of carbon, like activated carbon, porous carbon, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and so forth, are mainly employed as electrode materials to yield electric double layer capacitance (EDLC). [1][2][3] But since supercapacitors suffer from the limitations in the energy density, attempts are widely made to employ hybrids of materials offering EDLC and pseudocapacitance. [4][5][6] Different metal oxides like RuO 2 , MnO 2 , and so forth, some conducting polymers (CPs) like polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy) and polythiophene and its derivatives exhibit excellent redox properties.…”