A New View of Supercapacitors: Integrated Supercapacitors

TLDR

Electrochemical capacitors can achieve high power densities with charging times from seconds to minutes, and recent advances in materials, nanostructures, and electrolytes have improved performance, yet the underlying theory remains limited. The authors propose a new concept of an integrated supercapacitor. The integrated supercapacitor uses a single electrode comprising both positive and negative materials that can operate in both potential windows simultaneously. The integrated device delivers higher capacitance and a wider potential window than conventional symmetric or asymmetric supercapacitors, owing to its multiple operating mechanisms.

Abstract

Abstract Charging times ranging from seconds to minutes with high power densities can be achieved by electrochemical capacitors in principle. Over the past few decades, the performance of supercapacitors has been greatly improved by the utilization of new materials, preparation of unique nanostructures, investigation of electrolytes, and so on. However, the discovery of the related basic theory is very limited. Herein, a new view of a supercapacitor called the “integrated supercapacitor” is proposed. The electrode of the integrated supercapacitor consists of certain positive and negative materials. With this design, a single integrated electrode can work in both the positive and negative potential windows simultaneously. Additionally, the integrated full supercapacitor device shows a much higher capacitance and wider potential window than traditional single symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitors, which results from its multiple mechanisms, including the traditional positive//positive symmetric, positive//negative asymmetric, and negative//negative symmetric full supercapacitor mechanisms.