Flexible and green energy storage devices have a wide
range of
applications in prospective electronics and connected devices. In
this study, a new eco-friendly bilayer separator and primary and secondary
paper supercapacitors based on manganese dioxide (MnO2)/carbon
black (CB) are developed. The bilayer separator is prepared via a
two-step fabrication process involving freeze–thawing and nonsolvent-induced
phase separation. The prepared bilayer separator exhibits superior
porosity of 46%, wettability of 46.5°, and electrolyte uptake
of 194% when compared with a Celgard 2320 trilayer separator (39%,
55.58°, and 110%). Moreover, lower bulk resistance yields a higher
ionic conductivity of 0.52 mS cm–1 in comparison
to 0.22 mS cm–1 for the Celgard separator. Furthermore,
the bilayer separator exhibits improved mean efficiency of 0.44% and
higher specific discharge capacitance of 13.53%. The anodic and cathodic
electrodes are coated on a paper substrate using MnO2/CB
and zinc metal-loaded CB composites. The paper supercapacitor demonstrates
a high specific capacitance of 34.1 mF cm–2 and
energy and power density of 1.70 μWh cm–2 and
204.8 μW cm–2 at 500 μA, respectively.
In summary, the concept of an eco-friendly bilayer cellulose separator
with paper-based supercapacitors offers an environmentally friendly
alternative to traditional energy storage devices.