Vertical alignments of graphene sheets spatially and densely piled for fast ion diffusion in compact supercapacitors

Extraordinary Thickness-Independent Electrochemical Energy Storage Enabled by Cross-Linked Microporous Carbon Nanosheets

Two-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials have demonstrated great promise as electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, there is a trade-off relationship between energy storage and rate capability for carbon-based energy storage devices because of the incrementing ion diffusion limitations, especially for thick electrodes with high mass loading. Herein, we report the cross-linked microporous carbon nanosheets enabling high-energy and high-rate supercapacitors. The as-fabricated microporous carbon nanosheets exhibit an extraordinary thickness-independent electrochemical performance. With the thickness of 15 μm, the as-fabricated carbon nanosheet electrode possesses areal/volumetric/gravimetric capacitance of 895 mF cm^-2/596 F cm^-3/358 F g^-1. Even at a high electrode thickness of 125 μm, the as-fabricated thick electrode presents an ultrahigh areal/volumetric/gravimetric capacitance of 4102 mF cm^-2/328 F cm^-3/328 F g^-1. Furthermore, the as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor delivers an outstanding energy density of 19.2 W h kg^-1 at a power density of 135 W kg^-1 and ultralong cycling stability (capacitance retention of 95% after 180 000 charge/discharge cycles) in an alkaline electrolyte. This work not only provides a facile method for low-cost preparation of carbon nanostructures and high-value utilization of biomass wastes but also offers new insights into rational design and fabrication of advanced electrode materials for high-performance electrochemical energy storage.

Packing Activated Carbons into Dense Graphene Network by Capillarity for High Volumetric Performance Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are increasingly in demand among energy storage devices. Due to their abundant porosity and low cost, activated carbons are the most promising electrode materials and have been commercialized in supercapacitors for many years. However, their low packing density leads to an unsatisfactory volumetric performance, which is a big obstacle for their practical use where a high volumetric energy density is necessary. Inspired by the dense structure of irregular pomegranate grains, a simple yet effective approach to pack activated carbons into a compact graphene network with graphene as the "peels" is reported here. The capillary shrinkage of the graphene network sharply reduces the voids between the activated carbon particles through the microcosmic rearrangement while retaining their inner porosity. As a result, the electrode density increases from 0.41 to 0.76 g cm-3. When used as additive-free electrodes for supercapacitors in an ionic liquid electrolyte, this porous yet dense electrode delivers a volumetric capacitance of up to 138 F cm-3, achieving high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities of 101 Wh kg-1 and 77 Wh L-1, respectively. Such a graphene-assisted densification strategy can be extended to the densification of other carbon or noncarbon particles for energy devices requiring a high volumetric performance.

Three-Dimensional Porous Carbon Nanotubes/Reduced Graphene Oxide Fiber from Rapid Phase Separation for a High-Rate All-Solid-State Supercapacitor

Graphene fiber-based supercapacitors (SCs) are rising as having the greatest potential for portable/wearable energy storage devices. However, their rate performance is not well pleasing, which greatly impedes their broad practical applications. Herein, three-dimensional porous carbon nanotube/reduced graphene oxide fibers were prepared by a nonsolvent-induced rapid phase separation method followed by hydrazine vapor reduction. Benefitting from their three-dimensional porous structure, large specific surface area, and high conductivity, the fabricated SC exhibits a high volume capacitance of 54.9 F cm^-3 and high energy and power densities (4.9 mW h cm^-3 and 15.5 W cm^-3, respectively). Remarkably, the SC works well at a high scan rate of 50 V s^-1 and shows a fast frequency response with a short time constant of 78 ms. Furthermore, the fiber-shaped SC also exhibits very stable electrochemical performances when it is subjected to mechanical bending and succeeding straightening process, indicating its great potential application in flexible electronic devices.

AC-Filtering Supercapacitors Based on Edge Oriented Vertical Graphene and Cross-Linked Carbon Nanofiber

There is strong interest in developing high-frequency (HF) supercapacitors or electrochemical capacitors (ECs), which can work at the hundreds to kilo hertz range for line-frequency alternating current (AC) filtering in the substitution of bulky aluminum electrolytic capacitors, with broad applications in the power and electronic fields. Although great progress has been achieved in the studies of electrode materials for ECs, most of them are not suitable to work in this high frequency range because of the slow electrochemical processes involved. Edge-oriented vertical graphene (VG) networks on 3D scaffolds have a unique structure that offers straightforward pore configuration, reasonable surface area, and high electronic conductivity, thus allowing the fabrication of HF-ECs. Comparatively, highly conductive freestanding cross-linked carbon nanofibers (CCNFs), derived from bacterial cellulose in a rapid plasma pyrolysis process, can also provide a large surface area but free of rate-limiting micropores, and are another good candidate for HF-ECs. In this mini review, advances in these fields are summarized, with emphasis on our recent contributions in the study of these materials and their electrochemical properties including preliminary demonstrations of HF-ECs for AC line filtering and pulse power storage applications.

Low temperature solution synthesis of reduced two dimensional Ti3C2 MXenes with paramagnetic behaviour

MXenes - two dimensional, 2D, early transition metal, M, carbides and nitrides, X - are the latest addition to the 2D materials' world. Herein, we report on a facile low temperature solution chemical synthesis method to reduce Ti₃C₂T_x multilayered, ML, MXenes. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, magnetization measurements and other techniques, we concluded that immersing Ti₃C₂T_x MLs in the reducing agent Li-ethylenediamine (Li-EDA) - held at temperatures varying from room to 120 °C - reduces the 2D layers creating Ti³⁺ ions and oxygen vacancies. Above a temperature (T) of ≈10 K, the magnetic susceptibilities, χ, are temperature independent, implying that the resulting powders are Pauli paramagnetic. The loss of the magnetic signal upon intercalation of Li⁺ or EDA, together with a Curie-like increase in χ at T < 10 K, is consistent with that of a disordered metal that is close to a metallic to insulator transition and proves that the magnetism is associated with the 2D flakes. This result is the first evidence of any magnetism of any MXene.

Revealing the Effects of Electrode Crystallographic Orientation on Battery Electrochemistry via the Anisotropic Lithiation and Sodiation of ReS2

The crystallographic orientation of battery electrode materials can significantly impact electrochemical performance, such as rate capability and cycling stability. Among the layered transition metal dichalcogenides, rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) has the largest anisotropic ratio between the two main axes in addition to exceptionally weak interlayer coupling, which serves as an ideal system to observe and analyze anisotropy of electrochemical phenomena. Here, we report anisotropic lithiation and sodiation of exfoliated ReS₂ at atomic resolution using in situ transmission electron microscopy. These results reveal the role of crystallographic orientation and anisotropy on battery electrode electrochemistry. Complemented with density functional theory calculations, the lithiation of ReS₂ is found to begin with intercalation of Li-ions, followed by a conversion reaction that results in Re nanoparticles and Li₂S nanocrystals. The reaction speed is highly anisotropic, occurring faster along the in-plane ReS₂ layer than along the out-of-plane direction. Sodiation of ReS₂ is found to proceed similarly to lithiation, although the intercalation step is relatively quicker. Furthermore, the microstructure and morphology of the reaction products after lithiation/sodiation show clear anisotropy along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. These results suggest that crystallographic orientation in highly anisotropic electrode materials can be exploited as a design parameter to improve battery electrochemical performance.

Substrate Engineered Interconnected Graphene Electrodes with Ultrahigh Energy and Power Densities for Energy Storage Applications

Supercapacitors combine the advantages of electrochemical storage technologies such as high energy density batteries and high power density capacitors. At 5-10 W h kg^-1, the energy densities of current supercapacitors are still significantly lower than the energy densities of lead acid (20-35 W h kg^-1), Ni-metal hydride (40-100 W h kg^-1), and Li-ion (120-170 W h kg^-1) batteries. Recently, graphene-based supercapacitors have shown an energy density of 40-80 W h kg^-1. However, their performance is mainly limited because of the reversible agglomeration and restacking of individual graphene layers caused by π-π interactions. The restacking of graphene layers leads to significant decrease of ion-accessible surface area and the low capacitance of graphene-based supercapacitors. Here, we introduce a microstructure substrate-based method to produce a fully delaminated and stable interconnected graphene structure using flash reduction of graphene oxide in a few seconds. With this structure, we achieve the highest amount of volumetric capacitance obtained so far by any type of a pure carbon-based material. The affordable and scalable production method is capable of producing electrodes with an energy density of 0.37 W h cm^-3 and a power density of 416.6 W cm^-3. This electrode maintained more than 91% of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles. Moreover, combining with ionic liquid, this solvent-free graphene electrode material is highly promising for on-chip electronics, micro-supercapacitors, as well as high-power applications.

Versatile porous graphene flakes derived from alkali metal carbonates using an ultrafast and sulfuric acid-free solid-state oxidation reaction

Herein, we report on an unprecedented synthetic method for single-layered GO that takes just a few tens of minutes. This rationally designed solid-state oxidation based on alkali metal carbonates (Li2CO3, Na2CO3, K2CO3) involves a molten salt reaction, which enables the effective exfoliation and oxidation of graphene layers without using H2SO4 and KMnO4. The advantage of this approach is not only the ability to avoid the introduction of strong acid reactants in the reaction process, but this approach also leads to a 4.2 times larger specific surface area than conventional GO. For these reasons, we anticipate that this green, safe, fast and effective approach enables practical applications in graphene-based energy storage and light-absorbing black materials.

"One-for-All" Strategy in Fast Energy Storage: Production of Pillared MOF Nanorod-Templated Positive/Negative Electrodes for the Application of High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitor

Currently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are intensively studied as active materials for electrochemical energy storage applications due to their tunable structure and exceptional porosities. Among them, water stable pillared MOFs with dual ligands have been reported to exhibit high supercapacitor (SC) performance. Herein, the "One-for-All" strategy is applied to synthesize both positive and negative electrodes of a hybrid SC (HSC) from a single pillared MOF. Specifically, Ni-DMOF-TM ([Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)_0.5 ], TMBDC: 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, DABCO: 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane) nanorods are directly grown on carbon fiber paper (CFP) (denoted as CFP@TM-nanorods) with the help of triethylamine and function as the positive electrode of HSC under alkaline electrolyte. Meanwhile, calcinated N-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanorods (CFP@TM-NPCs) are produced and utilized as the negative counter-electrode from a one-step heat treatment of CFP@TM-nanorods. After assembling these two electrodes together to make a hybrid device, the TM-nanorods//TM-NPCs exhibit a wide voltage window of 1.5 V with a high sloping discharge plateau between 1-1.2 V, indicating its great potential for practical applications. This as-described "One-for-All" strategy is widely applicable and highly reproducible in producing MOF-based electrode materials for HSC applications, which shortens the gap between experimental synthesis and practical application of MOFs in fast energy storage.

Toward Superior Capacitive Energy Storage: Recent Advances in Pore Engineering for Dense Electrodes

With the rapid development of mobile electronics and electric vehicles, future electrochemical capacitors (ECs) need to store as much energy as possible in a rather limited space. As the core component of ECs, dense electrodes that have a high volumetric energy density and superior rate capability are the key to achieving improved energy storage. Here, the significance of and recent progress in the high volumetric performance of dense electrodes are presented. Furthermore, dense yet porous electrodes, as the critical precondition for realizing superior electrochemical capacitive energy, have become a scientific challenge and an attractive research focus. From a pore-engineering perspective, insight into the guidelines of engineering the pore size, connectivity, and wettability is provided to design dense electrodes with different porous architectures toward high-performance capacitive energy storage. The current challenges and future opportunities toward dense electrodes are discussed and include the construction of an orderly porous structure with an appropriate gradient, the coupling of pore sizes with the solvated cations and anions, and the design of coupled pores with diverse electrolyte ions.

High-Stacking-Density, Superior-Roughness LDH Bridged with Vertically Aligned Graphene for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

The high-performance electrode materials with tuned surface and interface structure and functionalities are highly demanded for advanced supercapacitors. A novel strategy is presented to conFigure high-stacking-density, superior-roughness nickel manganese layered double hydroxide (LDH) bridged by vertically aligned graphene (VG) with nickel foam (NF) as the conductive collector, yielding the LDH-NF@VG hybrids for asymmetric supercapacitors. The VG nanosheets provide numerous electron transfer channels for quick redox reactions, and well-developed open structure for fast mass transport. Moreover, the high-stacking-density LDH grown and assembled on VG nanosheets result in a superior hydrophilicity derived from the tuned nano/microstructures, especially microroughness. Such a high stacking density with abundant active sites and superior wettability can be easily accessed by aqueous electrolytes. Benefitting from the above features, the LDH-NF@VG can deliver a high capacitance of 2920 F g^-1 at a current density of 2 A g^-1 , and the asymmetric supercapacitor with the LDH-NF@VG as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode can deliver a high energy density of 56.8 Wh kg^-1 at a power density of 260 W kg^-1 , with a high specific capacitance retention rate of 87% even after 10 000 cycles.

Promoting the Electrochemical Performances by Chemical Depositing of Gold Nanoparticles Inside Pores of 3D Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanocages

Carbon Nanomaterials are excellent electrode materials due to their extraordinary conductivity, prolific structures, and morphologies. Herein, a novel nanocarbon-based material (Au@NCNC) was synthesized by embedding gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) inside the pores of three-dimensional hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (NCNC) through an in situ chemical deposition method. The resultant Au@NCNC was employed as an electrochemical catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and as an electrode material for supercapacitors. The conductivity and hydrophilicity of Au@NCNC were much more improved than those of pristine NCNC. Meanwhile, the bubble adhesive force on the Au@NCNC film was much lower underwater than that of NCNC, which provided easy accessibility to the active sites of reactants, such as hydrated O₂. Therefore, the deposition of AuNPs inside pores of NCNC facilitated the transfer of electrons and diffusion of ions, promoting the electrocatalytic performance of Au@NCNC. As a result, Au@NCNC exhibited high performance toward ORR, which manifested in high numbers of electron transfer (3.7-3.9), high kinetic current density, enhanced electrocatalytic stability, and remarkable methanol durability. Moreover, Au@NCNC displayed high specific capacitance, good rate capability, and cycling stability with ∼97% of its initial capacitance retained at the high current density of 10 A g^-1 after 5000 cycles. This could be attributed to the synergetic effect of ultrafine gold nanoparticles, the hierarchical porous structure, and the hydrophilic surface of NCNC as well. This work offers an excellent alternative for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells, ORR, and supercapacitive electrode materials by enhancing the conductivity and surface hydrophilicity of electrocatalysts.

2D reentrant auxetic structures of graphene/CNT networks for omnidirectionally stretchable supercapacitors

Stretchable energy storage systems are essential for the realization of implantable and epidermal electronics. However, high-performance stretchable supercapacitors have received less attention because currently available processing techniques and material structures are too limited to overcome the trade-off relationship among electrical conductivity, ion-accessible surface area, and stretchability of electrodes. Herein, we introduce novel 2D reentrant cellular structures of porous graphene/CNT networks for omnidirectionally stretchable supercapacitor electrodes. Reentrant structures, with inwardly protruded frameworks in porous networks, were fabricated by the radial compression of vertically aligned honeycomb-like rGO/CNT networks, which were prepared by a directional crystallization method. Unlike typical porous graphene structures, the reentrant structure provided structure-assisted stretchability, such as accordion and origami structures, to otherwise unstretchable materials. The 2D reentrant structures of graphene/CNT networks maintained excellent electrical conductivities under biaxial stretching conditions and showed a slightly negative or near-zero Poisson's ratio over a wide strain range because of their structural uniqueness. For practical applications, we fabricated all-solid-state supercapacitors based on 2D auxetic structures. A radial compression process up to 1/10^th densified the electrode, significantly increasing the areal and volumetric capacitances of the electrodes. Additionally, vertically aligned graphene/CNT networks provided a plentiful surface area and induced sufficient ion transport pathways for the electrodes. Therefore, they exhibited high gravimetric and areal capacitance values of 152.4 F g^-1 and 2.9 F cm^-2, respectively, and had an excellent retention ratio of 88% under a biaxial strain of 100%. Auxetic cellular and vertically aligned structures provide a new strategy for the preparation of robust platforms for stretchable energy storage electrodes.

All-Graphene Oxide Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance

The rapid development of flexible and wearable electronics has led to an increase in the demand for flexible supercapacitors with enhanced electrochemical performance. Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) exhibit several key properties required for supercapacitor components. Although solid-state rGO/GO/rGO supercapacitors with unique structures are promising, their moderate capacitance is inadequate for practical applications. Herein, we report a flexible solid-state rGO/GO/rGO supercapacitor comprising H₂SO₄-intercalated GO electrolyte/separator and pseudocapacitive rGO electrodes, which demonstrate excellent electrochemical performance. The resulting supercapacitor delivered an areal capacitance of 14.5 mF cm^-2, which is among the highest values achieved for any rGO/GO/rGO supercapacitor. High ionic concentration and fast ion conduction in the H₂SO₄-intercalated GO electrolyte/separator and abundant CH defects, which serve as pseudocapacitive sites on the rGO electrode, were responsible for the high capacitance of this device. The rGO electrode, well separated by the H₂SO₄ molecular spacer, supplied highly efficient ion transport channels, leading to excellent rate capability. The highly packed rGO electrode and high specific capacitance resulted in a high volumetric energy density (1.24 mWh cm^-3) observed in this supercapacitor. The structure, without a clear interface between GO and rGO, provides extremely low resistance and flexibility for devices. Our device operated in air (25 °C 40%) without the use of external electrolytes, conductive additives, and binders. Furthermore, we demonstrate a simple and versatile technique for supercapacitor fabrication by combining photoreduction and electrochemical treatment. These advantages are attractive for developing novel carbon-based energy devices with high device performance and low fabrication costs.

Compressing Carbon Nanocages by Capillarity for Optimizing Porous Structures toward Ultrahigh-Volumetric-Performance Supercapacitors

High volumetric energy density combined with high power density is highly desired for electrical double-layer capacitors. Usually the volumetric performance is improved by compressing carbon material to increase density but at the much expense of power density due to the deviation of the compressed porous structure from the ideal one. Herein the authors report an efficient approach to increase the density and optimize the porous structure by collapsing the carbon nanocages via capillarity. Three samples with decreasing sizes of meso- and macropores provide us an ideal model system to demonstrate the correlation of volumetric performance with porous structure. The results indicate that reducing the surplus macropores and, more importantly, the surplus mesopores is an efficient strategy to enhance the volumetric energy density while keeping the high power density. The optimized sample achieves a record-high stack volumetric energy density of 73 Wh L^-1 in ionic liquid with superb power density and cycling stability.

Materials Design and System Construction for Conventional and New-Concept Supercapacitors

With the development of renewable energy and electrified transportation, electrochemical energy storage will be more urgent in the future. Supercapacitors have received extensive attention due to their high power density, fast charge and discharge rates, and long-term cycling stability. During past five years, supercapacitors have been boomed benefited from the development of nanostructured materials synthesis and the promoted innovation of devices construction. In this review, we have summarized the current state-of-the-art development on the fabrication of high-performance supercapacitors. From the electrode material perspective, a variety of materials have been explored for advanced electrode materials with smart material-design strategies such as carbonaceous materials, metal compounds and conducting polymers. Proper nanostructures are engineered to provide sufficient electroactive sites and enhance the kinetics of ion and electron transport. Besides, new-concept supercapacitors have been developed for practical application. Microsupercapacitors and fiber supercapacitors have been explored for portable and compact electronic devices. Subsequently, we have introduced Li-/Na-ion supercapacitors composed of battery-type electrodes and capacitor-type electrode. Integrated energy devices are also explored by incorporating supercapacitors with energy conversion systems for sustainable energy storage. In brief, this review provides a comprehensive summary of recent progress on electrode materials design and burgeoning devices constructions for high-performance supercapacitors.

Interconnected Phosphorus and Nitrogen Codoped Porous Exfoliated Carbon Nanosheets for High-Rate Supercapacitors

Carbon-based supercapacitors have high power density and long cycle life; however, they are known to suffer from problems related to low energy density and high inner resistance. Here, we report a novel hierarchically porous functional carbon that is made up of interconnected exfoliated carbon nanosheets with thickness of a few nanometers. Notably, these porous carbon nanosheets are doped with abundant nitrogen (N) dopants in the basal plane and phosphorus (P) functional groups at the edge of the graphene lattice. The specific surface chemistry and pore structure of the synthesized sample, combined with its large specific surface area, make it a high-performance active material for supercapacitor electrode. The obtained supercapacitor made with the optimized sample showed a high specific capacitance (265 F g^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1) as well as long-term stability (94% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles). Particularly, the enhanced electrochemical characteristics were maintained even at high electrode mass loading (time constant (τ₀) is 1.10 s for an electrode mass loading of 12.38 mg cm^-2 compared to 1.61 s for a mass loading of 4.17 mg cm^-2 for commercial activated carbon), which is important for a high packing factor of the capacitor.

High Packing Density Unidirectional Arrays of Vertically Aligned Graphene with Enhanced Areal Capacitance for High-Power Micro-Supercapacitors

Interfacial integration of a shape-engineered electrode with a strongly bonded current collector is the key for minimizing both ionic and electronic resistance and then developing high-power supercapacitors. Herein, we demonstrated the construction of high-power micro-supercapacitors (VG-MSCs) based on high-density unidirectional arrays of vertically aligned graphene (VG) nanosheets, derived from a thermally decomposed SiC substrate. The as-grown VG arrays showed a standing basal plane orientation grown on a (0001̅) SiC substrate, tailored thickness (3.5-28 μm), high-density structurally ordering alignment of graphene consisting of 1-5 layers, vertically oriented edges, open intersheet channels, high electrical conductivity (192 S cm^-1), and strong bonding of the VG edges to the SiC substrate. As a result, the demonstrated VG-MSCs displayed a high areal capacitance of ∼7.3 mF cm^-2 and a fast frequency response with a short time constant of 9 ms. Furthermore, VG-MSCs in both an aqueous polymer gel electrolyte and nonaqueous ionic liquid of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate operated well at high scan rates of up to 200 V s^-1. More importantly, VG-MSCs offered a high power density of ∼15 W cm^-3 in gel electrolyte and ∼61 W cm^-3 in ionic liquid. Therefore, this strategy of producing high-density unidirectional VG nanosheets directly bonded on a SiC current collector demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing high-power compact supercapacitors.

Carbon-based supercapacitors for efficient energy storage

The advancement of modern electronic devices depends strongly on the highly efficient energy sources possessing high energy density and power density. In this regard, supercapacitors show great promise. Due to the unique hierarchical structure, excellent electrical and mechanical properties, and high specific surface area, carbon nanomaterials (particularly, carbon nanotubes, graphene, mesoporous carbon and their hybrids) have been widely investigated as efficient electrode materials in supercapacitors. This review article summarizes progress in high-performance supercapacitors based on carbon nanomaterials with an emphasis on the design and fabrication of electrode structures and elucidation of charge-storage mechanisms. Recent developments on carbon-based flexible and stretchable supercapacitors for various potential applications, including integrated energy sources, self-powered sensors and wearable electronics, are also discussed.

Tuneable fluidics within graphene nanogaps for water purification and energy storage

Precise control of liquid-solid interactions within sub-micrometer spaces is critical to maximize the active surface areas in porous materials, yet is challenging because of the limited liquid penetration. Here we discover an effective, dry-climate natural plant-inspired approach to guide water into sub-micrometer graphene microwells (Sub-μGWs) and to tune the transition from the hydrophobic to superhydrophilic states. Dry plasma texturing of Sub-μGWs by graphene 'nano-flaps' which adjust the tilt and density upon controlled liquid evaporation leads to controlled and stable sub-micrometer-scale surface modification and variable wettability in a wide range. This effect helps capture Au nanoparticles on the Sub-μGW surfaces as a proof-of-principle water purification platform and tune the charge-storage capacity and frequency response of Sub-μGW-based supercapacitors without altering the Sub-μGW backbones. The outcomes may be extended into diverse materials and solutions thus opening new opportunities for next-generation devices, systems and applications.

Arbitrary-Shaped Graphene-Based Planar Sandwich Supercapacitors on One Substrate with Enhanced Flexibility and Integration

The emerging smart power source-unitized electronics represent an utmost innovative paradigm requiring dramatic alteration from materials to device assembly and integration. However, traditional power sources with huge bottlenecks on the design and performance cannot keep pace with the revolutionized progress of shape-confirmable integrated circuits. Here, we demonstrate a versatile printable technology to fabricate arbitrary-shaped, printable graphene-based planar sandwich supercapacitors based on the layer-structured film of electrochemically exfoliated graphene as two electrodes and nanosized graphene oxide (lateral size of 100 nm) as a separator on one substrate. These monolithic planar supercapacitors not only possess arbitrary shapes, e.g., rectangle, hollow-square, "A" letter, "1" and "2" numbers, circle, and junction-wire shape, but also exhibit outstanding performance (∼280 F cm^-3), excellent flexibility (no capacitance degradation under different bending states), and applicable scalability, which are far beyond those achieved by conventional technologies. More notably, such planar supercapacitors with superior integration can be readily interconnected in parallel and series, without use of metal interconnects and contacts, to modulate the output current and voltage of modular power sources for designable integrated circuits in various shapes and sizes.

Guided Electro-Optical Switching of Small Graphene Oxide Particles by Larger Ones in Aqueous Dispersion

Although the large Kerr coefficient of aqueous graphene oxide (GO) dispersions is quite attractive for electro-optical applications with low power consumption, the maximum birefringence of GO dispersions is not sufficiently high for actual display applications. Here we report that adding a small amount of larger GO particles (about 4 μm) into a high-concentration dispersion of small GO (about 0.2 μm) can improve the electro-optical sensitivity to an electric field and also the maximum birefringence. Large GOs induce the ordering of small particles and enhance the electro-optical switching. Large GOs have higher polarizability and are easily driven under an applied electric field, and the rotational motion of large GO particles leads to switching of surrounding small GO particles, improving the electro-optical performance. The binary mixture can overcome the limitations of pure dispersions of large GO or small GO particles; the former has high interparticle interaction, and the latter has low sensitivity to an electric field.

Controllable growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC

We investigated how to control the growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC by varying the processing conditions. It is found that, the growth rate scales with the annealing temperature and the graphene height is proportional to the annealing time. Temperature gradient and crystalline quality of the SiC substrates influence their vaporization. The partial vapor pressure is crucial as it can interfere with further vaporization. A growth mechanism is proposed in terms of physical vapor transport. The monolayer character of vertically aligned graphene is verified by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the processed samples, d⁰ magnetism is realized and negative magnetoresistance is observed after Cu implantation. We also prove that multiple carriers exist in vertically aligned graphene.

Multidimensional materials and device architectures for future hybrid energy storage

Electrical energy storage plays a vital role in daily life due to our dependence on numerous portable electronic devices. Moreover, with the continued miniaturization of electronics, integration of wireless devices into our homes and clothes and the widely anticipated ‘Internet of Things', there are intensive efforts to develop miniature yet powerful electrical energy storage devices. This review addresses the cutting edge of electrical energy storage technology, outlining approaches to overcome current limitations and providing future research directions towards the next generation of electrical energy storage devices whose characteristics represent a true hybridization of batteries and electrochemical capacitors.

With the continued miniaturization of electronics, there are increasing efforts to engineer small, powerful energy storage devices. Here the authors review the cutting edge of this rapidly developing field, highlighting the most promising materials and architectures for our future energy storage requirements.

Tunable Sub-nanopores of Graphene Flake Interlayers with Conductive Molecular Linkers for Supercapacitors

Although there are numerous reports of high performance supercapacitors with porous graphene, there are few reports to control the interlayer gap between graphene sheets with conductive molecular linkers (or molecular pillars) through a π-conjugated chemical carbon-carbon bond that can maintain high conductivity, which can explain the enhanced capacitive effect of supercapacitor mechanism about accessibility of electrolyte ions. For this, we designed molecularly gap-controlled reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) via diazotization of three different phenyl, biphenyl, and para-terphenyl bis-diazonium salts (BD1-3). The graphene interlayer sub-nanopores of rGO-BD1-3 are 0.49, 0.7, and 0.96 nm, respectively. Surprisingly, the rGO-BD2 0.7 nm gap shows the highest capacitance in 1 M TEABF4 having 0.68 nm size of cation and 6 M KOH having 0.6 nm size of hydrated cation. The maximum energy density and power density of the rGO-BD2 were 129.67 W h kg(-1) and 30.3 kW kg(-1), respectively, demonstrating clearly that the optimized sub-nanopore of the rGO-BDs corresponding to the electrolyte ion size resulted in the best capacitive performance.

Magnetic assembly of transparent and conducting graphene-based functional composites

Innovative methods producing transparent and flexible electrodes are highly sought in modern optoelectronic applications to replace metal oxides, but available solutions suffer from drawbacks such as brittleness, unaffordability and inadequate processability. Here we propose a general, simple strategy to produce hierarchical composites of functionalized graphene in polymeric matrices, exhibiting transparency and electron conductivity. These are obtained through protein-assisted functionalization of graphene with magnetic nanoparticles, followed by magnetic-directed assembly of the graphene within polymeric matrices undergoing sol–gel transitions. By applying rotating magnetic fields or magnetic moulds, both graphene orientation and distribution can be controlled within the composite. Importantly, by using magnetic virtual moulds of predefined meshes, graphene assembly is directed into double-percolating networks, reducing the percolation threshold and enabling combined optical transparency and electrical conductivity not accessible in single-network materials. The resulting composites open new possibilities on the quest of transparent electrodes for photovoltaics, organic light-emitting diodes and stretchable optoelectronic devices.

Transparent and electrically conducting flexible films are in high demand but production can be both time-consuming and expensive. Here, the authors report a method for assembling modified graphene flakes in controlled distributions within polymeric matrices by use of magnetic fields.

A two-step etching route to ultrathin carbon nanosheets for high performance electrical double layer capacitors

Two-dimensional (2D) carbon materials have attracted intense research interest for electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) due to their high aspect ratio and large surface area. Herein, we propose an exfoliation-chlorination route for preparing ultrathin carbon nanosheets by using ternary layered carbide Ti3AlC2 as the precursor. Due to the large intersheet space of exfoliated layered carbide (MXene), the as-prepared carbon nanosheets exhibit a thickness of 3-4 nm and a large specific surface area of 1766 m(2) g(-1) with hierarchical porosity. These features significantly improve the ion-accessible surface area for charge storage and shorten the ion transport length in the thin dimension. As a result, the carbon nanosheets show a high specific capacitance (220 F g(-1) at 0.5 A g(-1)), remarkable high power capability (79% capacitance retention at 20 A g(-1)) when measured in a symmetrical two-electrode configuration in an aqueous electrolyte. The method described in this work provides a new route to prepare 2D electrode materials from a bulk precursor, thus exploiting their full potential for EDLCs.

Low-dimensional carbon and MXene-based electrochemical capacitor electrodes

Due to their unique structure and outstanding intrinsic physical properties such as extraordinarily high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and various chemical functionalities, low-dimension-based materials exhibit great potential for application in electrochemical capacitors (ECs). The electrical properties of electrochemical capacitors are determined by the electrode materials. Because energy charge storage is a surface process, the surface properties of the electrode materials greatly influence the electrochemical performance of the cell. Recently, graphene, a single layer of sp(2)-bonded carbon atoms arrayed into two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial, has attracted wide interest as an electrode material for electrochemical capacitor applications due to its unique properties, including a high electrical conductivity and large surface area. Several low-dimensional materials with large surface areas and high conductivity such as onion-like carbons (OLCs), carbide-derived carbons (CDCs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, metal hydroxide, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and most recently MXene, have been developed for electrochemical capacitors. Therefore, it is useful to understand the current issues of low-dimensional materials and their device applications.

Graphene Oxide Liquid Crystals: Discovery, Evolution and Applications

The discovery and relevant research progress in graphene oxide liquid crystals (GOLCs), the latest class of 2D nanomaterials exhibiting colloidal liquid crystallinity arising from the intrinsic disc-like shape anisotropy, is highlighted. GOLC has conferred a versatile platform for the development of novel properties and applications based on the facile controllability of molecular scale alignment. The first part of this review offers a brief introduction to LCs, including the theoretical background. Particular attention has been paid to the different types of LC phases that have been reported thus far, such as nematic, lamellar and chiral phases. Several key parameters governing the ultimate stability of GOLC behavior, including pH and ionic strength of aqueous dispersions are highlighted. In a relatively short span of time since its discovery, GOLCs have proved their remarkable potential in a broad spectrum of applications, including highly oriented wet-spun fibers, self-assembled nanocomposites, and architectures for energy storage devices. The second part of this review is devoted to an exclusive overview of the relevant applications. Finally, an outlook is provided into this newly emerging research field, where two well established scientific communities for carbon nanomaterials and liquid crystals are ideally merged.

Morphology Effect of Vertical Graphene on the High Performance of Supercapacitor Electrode

Graphene and its composites are widely investigated as supercapacitor electrodes due to their large specific surface area. However, the severe aggregation and disordered alignment of graphene sheets hamper the maximum utilization of its surface area. Here we report an optimized structure for supercapacitor electrode, i.e., the vertical graphene sheets, which have a vertical structure and open architecture for ion transport pathway. The effect of morphology and orientation of vertical graphene on the performance of supercapacitor is examined using a combination of model calculation and experimental study. Both results consistently demonstrate that the vertical graphene electrode has a much superior performance than that of lateral graphene electrode. Typically, the areal capacitances of a vertical graphene electrode reach 8.4 mF/cm(2) at scan rate of 100 mV/s; this is about 38% higher than that of a lateral graphene electrode and about 6 times higher than that of graphite paper. To further improve its performance, a MnO2 nanoflake layer is coated on the surface of graphene to provide a high pseudocapacitive contribution to the overall areal capacitance which increases to 500 mF/cm(2) at scan rate of 5 mV/s. The reasons for these significant improvements are studied in detail and are attributed to the fast ion diffusion and enhanced charge storage capacity. The microscopic manipulation of graphene electrode configuration could greatly improve its specific capacitance, and furthermore, boost the energy density of supercapacitor. Our results demonstrate that the vertical graphene electrode is more efficient and practical for the high performance energy storage device with high power and energy densities.

Polyaniline-Reduced Graphene Oxide Hybrid Nanosheets with Nearly Vertical Orientation Anchoring Palladium Nanoparticles for Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalysis

We report a nearly vertical reduced graphene oxide (VrGO) nanosheet coupled with polyaniline (PANI) for supporting palladium (Pd) nanoparticles. The PANI-coupled VrGO (PANI@VrGO) nanosheet is prepared by a simple one-step electrodeposition technique ,and Pd nanoparticles are anchored on the support of PANI@VrGO through the spontaneous redox reaction of PANI with a palladium salt. The designed PANI@VrGO nanosheet efficiently exposes the surface of rGO sheets and stabilizes metal nanoparticles. Consequently, the Pd/PANI@VrGO electrocatalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and excellent durability for alcohol oxidation reaction. The proposed nanoarchitecture offers a new pathway to greatly promote the performances of rGO in various applications; moreover, this work provides a powerful and universal synthetic strategy for such an architecture.

Design and fabrication of carbonized rGO/CMOF-5 hybrids for supercapacitor applications

A reduced graphene oxide/carbonized metal–organic framework (rGO/CMOF-5) hybrid with an rGO inner layer and an outer cover of CMOF-5 was successfully fabricated by combining a simple solvothermal reaction with an annealing treatment.

Unconventional supercapacitors from nanocarbon-based electrode materials to device configurations

We review here recent developments in unconventional supercapacitors from nanocarbon-based electrode materials to device configurations.

Facile synthesis of N/P co-doped carbons with tailored hierarchically porous structures for supercapacitor applications

A facile process was designed to synthesize nitrogen/phosphorous co-doped hierarchically porous carbons with excellent performance for supercapacitors.