Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes
Abstract A flexible and self-healing supercapacitor with high energy density in low temperature operation was fabricated using a combination of biochar-based composite electrodes and a polyampholyte hydrogel electrolyte. Polyampholytes, a novel class of tough hydrogel, provide self-healing ability a...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2017-05-01
|
Series: | Scientific Reports |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01873-3 |
id |
doaj-2e1633a1221c4e578784a0d4a13a46ec |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-2e1633a1221c4e578784a0d4a13a46ec2020-12-08T00:50:49ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222017-05-017111110.1038/s41598-017-01873-3Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar ElectrodesXinda Li0Li Liu1Xianzong Wang2Yong Sik Ok3Janet A. W. Elliott4Scott X. Chang5Hyun-Joong Chung6Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, EdmontonDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, EdmontonDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, EdmontonSchool of Natural Resources and Environmental Science & Korea Biochar Research Center, Kangwon National UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, EdmontonDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of AlbertaDepartment of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, EdmontonAbstract A flexible and self-healing supercapacitor with high energy density in low temperature operation was fabricated using a combination of biochar-based composite electrodes and a polyampholyte hydrogel electrolyte. Polyampholytes, a novel class of tough hydrogel, provide self-healing ability and mechanical flexibility, as well as low temperature operation for the aqueous electrolyte. Biochar is a carbon material produced from the low-temperature pyrolysis of biological wastes; the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide conferred mechanical integrity and electrical conductivity and hence the electrodes are called biochar-reduced-graphene-oxide (BC-RGO) electrodes. The fabricated supercapacitor showed high energy density of 30 Wh/kg with ~90% capacitance retention after 5000 charge–discharge cycles at room temperature at a power density of 50 W/kg. At −30 °C, the supercapacitor exhibited an energy density of 10.5 Wh/kg at a power density of 500 W/kg. The mechanism of the low-temperature performance excellence is likely to be associated with the concept of non-freezable water near the hydrophilic polymer chains, which can motivate future researches on the phase behaviour of water near polyampholyte chains. We conclude that the combination of the BC-RGO electrode and the polyampholyte hydrogel electrolyte is promising for supercapacitors for flexible electronics and for low temperature environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01873-3 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Xinda Li Li Liu Xianzong Wang Yong Sik Ok Janet A. W. Elliott Scott X. Chang Hyun-Joong Chung |
spellingShingle |
Xinda Li Li Liu Xianzong Wang Yong Sik Ok Janet A. W. Elliott Scott X. Chang Hyun-Joong Chung Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes Scientific Reports |
author_facet |
Xinda Li Li Liu Xianzong Wang Yong Sik Ok Janet A. W. Elliott Scott X. Chang Hyun-Joong Chung |
author_sort |
Xinda Li |
title |
Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes |
title_short |
Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes |
title_full |
Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes |
title_fullStr |
Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes |
title_sort |
flexible and self-healing aqueous supercapacitors for low temperature applications: polyampholyte gel electrolytes with biochar electrodes |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
series |
Scientific Reports |
issn |
2045-2322 |
publishDate |
2017-05-01 |
description |
Abstract A flexible and self-healing supercapacitor with high energy density in low temperature operation was fabricated using a combination of biochar-based composite electrodes and a polyampholyte hydrogel electrolyte. Polyampholytes, a novel class of tough hydrogel, provide self-healing ability and mechanical flexibility, as well as low temperature operation for the aqueous electrolyte. Biochar is a carbon material produced from the low-temperature pyrolysis of biological wastes; the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide conferred mechanical integrity and electrical conductivity and hence the electrodes are called biochar-reduced-graphene-oxide (BC-RGO) electrodes. The fabricated supercapacitor showed high energy density of 30 Wh/kg with ~90% capacitance retention after 5000 charge–discharge cycles at room temperature at a power density of 50 W/kg. At −30 °C, the supercapacitor exhibited an energy density of 10.5 Wh/kg at a power density of 500 W/kg. The mechanism of the low-temperature performance excellence is likely to be associated with the concept of non-freezable water near the hydrophilic polymer chains, which can motivate future researches on the phase behaviour of water near polyampholyte chains. We conclude that the combination of the BC-RGO electrode and the polyampholyte hydrogel electrolyte is promising for supercapacitors for flexible electronics and for low temperature environments. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01873-3 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT xindali flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT liliu flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT xianzongwang flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT yongsikok flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT janetawelliott flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT scottxchang flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes AT hyunjoongchung flexibleandselfhealingaqueoussupercapacitorsforlowtemperatureapplicationspolyampholytegelelectrolyteswithbiocharelectrodes |
_version_ |
1724395727056011264 |