A New View of Supercapacitors: Integrated Supercapacitors

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.     

Sulfidation of NiMn‐Layered Double Hydroxides/Graphene Oxide Composites toward Supercapacitor Electrodes with Enhanced Performance

Supercapacitors can deliver high‐power density and long cycle stability, but the limited energy density due to poor electronic and ionic conductivity of the supercapacitor electrode has been a bottleneck in many applications. A strategy to prepare microflower‐like NiMn‐layered double hydroxides (LDH) with sulfidation is delineated to reduce the charge transfer resistance of supercapacitor electrode and realize faster reversible redox reactions with notably enhanced specific capacitance. The incorporation of graphite oxide (GO) in NiMn LDH during sulfidation leads to simultaneous reduction of GO with enhanced conductivity, lessened defects, and doping of S into the graphitic structure. Cycling stability of the sulfidized composite electrode is enhanced due to the alleviation of phase transformation during electrochemical cycling test. As a result, this sulfidation product of LDH/GO (or LDHGOS) can reach a high‐specific capacitance of 2246.63 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1, and a capacitance of 1670.83 F g^?1 is retained at a high‐current density of 10 A g^?1, exhibiting an outstanding capacitance and rate performance. The cycling retention of the LDHGOS electrode is also extended to ≈ 67% after 1500 cycles compared to only ≈44% of the pristine NiMn LDH.     

CoNi2S4‐Graphene‐2D‐MoSe2 as an Advanced Electrode Material for Supercapacitors

3D CoNi₂S₄‐graphene‐2D‐MoSe₂ (CoNi₂S₄‐G‐MoSe₂) nanocomposite is designed and prepared using a facile ultrasonication and hydrothermal method for supercapacitor (SC) applications. Because of the novel nanocomposite structures and resultant maximized synergistic effect among ultrathin MoSe₂ nanosheets, highly conductive graphene and CoNi₂S₄ nanoparticles, the electrode exhibits rapid electron and ion transport rate and large electroactive surface area, resulting in its amazing electrochemical properties. The CoNi₂S₄‐G‐MoSe₂ electrode demonstrates a maximum specific capacitance of 1141 F g^?1, with capacitance retention of ≈108% after 2000 cycles at a high charge–discharge current density of 20 A g^?1. As to its symmetric device, 109 F g^?1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s^?1 is exhibited. This pioneering work should be helpful in enhancing the capacitive performance of SC materials by designing nanostructures with efficient synergetic effects.     

Supercapacitors Performance Evaluation

The performance of a supercapacitor can be characterized by a series of key parameters, including the cell capacitance, operating voltage, equivalent series resistance, power density, energy density, and time constant. To accurately measure these parameters, a variety of methods have been proposed and are used in academia and industry. As a result, some confusion has been caused due to the inconsistencies between different evaluation methods and practices. Such confusion hinders effective communication of new research findings, and creates a hurdle in transferring novel supercapacitor technologies from research labs to commercial applications. Based on public sources, this article is an attempt to inventory, critique and hopefully streamline the commonly used instruments, key performance metrics, calculation methods, and major affecting factors for supercapacitor performance evaluation. Thereafter the primary sources of inconsistencies are identified and possible solutions are suggested, with emphasis on device performance vs. material properties and the rate dependency of supercapacitors. We hope, by using reliable, intrinsic, and comparable parameters produced, the existing inconsistencies and confusion can be largely eliminated so as to facilitate further progress in the field.     

Formation of Yolk‐Shelled Ni–Co Mixed Oxide Nanoprisms with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Hybrid Supercapacitors and Lithium Ion Batteries

Yolk‐shelled particles with tailored physical and chemical properties are attractive for electrochemical energy storage. Starting with metal acetate hydroxide with tetragonal prism‐like shapes, yolk‐shelled Ni–Co mixed oxide nanoprisms with tunable composition have been prepared by simple thermal annealing in air. It is found that the yolk‐shelled structure is formed due to the fast thermally driven contraction process. With the favorable porous structure and composition, these yolk‐shelled Ni–Co oxide particles manifest greatly enhanced electrochemical properties when evaluated as electrodes for both hybrid supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries. In particular, the resultant Ni_0.37Co oxide sample delivers very high specific capacitance of over 1000 F g^?1 at a current density of 10 A g^?1 with remarkably high capacitance retention of 98% after 15 000 cycles.