posted on 2017-09-19, 11:19authored bySilas K. Simotwo, Parameswara Rao Chinnam, Stephanie L. Wunder, Vibha Kalra
A high-performance,
self-standing solid-state supercapacitor is prepared by incorporating
an ionic liquid (IL)-rich ionogel made with 95 wt % IL (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) and 5 wt % methyl cellulose, a
polymer matrix, into highly interconnected 3-D activated carbon nanofiber
(CNF) electrodes. The ionogel exhibits strong mechanical properties
with a storage modulus of 5 MPa and a high ionic conductivity of 5.7
mS cm–1 at 25 °C. The high-surface-area CNF-based
electrode (2282 m2 g–1), obtained via
an electrospinning technique, exhibits hierarchical porosity generated
both in situ during pyrolysis and ex situ via KOH activation. The
porous architecture of the CNF electrodes facilitates the facile percolation
of the soft but mechanically durable ionogel film, thereby enabling
intimate contact between porous nanofibers and the gel electrolyte
interface. The supercapacitor demonstrates promising capacitive characteristics,
including a gravimetric capacitance of 153 F g–1, a high specific energy density of 65 W h kg–1, and high cycling stability, with a capacitance fade of only 4%
after 20 000 charge–discharge cycles at 1 A g–1. Moreover, device-level areal capacitances for the gel IL cell of
122 and 151 mF cm–2 are observed at electrode mass
loadings of 3.20 and 5.10 mg cm–2, respectively.