Journal article
On the molecular origin of supercapacitance in nanoporous carbon electrodes
Nature materials, v 11(4)
Apr 2012
PMID: 22388172
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Lightweight, low-cost supercapacitors with the capability of rapidly storing a large amount of electrical energy can contribute to meeting continuous energy demands and effectively levelling the cyclic nature of renewable energy sources. The excellent electrochemical performance of supercapacitors is due to a reversible ion adsorption in porous carbon electrodes. Recently, it was demonstrated that ions from the electrolyte could enter sub nanometre pores, greatly increasing the capacitance. However, the molecular mechanism of this enhancement remains poorly understood. Here we provide the first quantitative picture of the structure of an ionic liquid adsorbed inside realistically modelled microporous carbon electrodes. We show how the separation of the positive and negative ions occurs inside the porous disordered carbons, yielding much higher capacitance values (125 F g(-1)) than with simpler electrode geometries. The proposed mechanism opens the door for the design of materials with improved energy storage capabilities. It also sheds new light on situations where ion adsorption in porous structures or membranes plays a role.
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Details
- Title
- On the molecular origin of supercapacitance in nanoporous carbon electrodes
- Creators
- Céline Merlet - Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l'énergieBenjamin Rotenberg - Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l'énergiePaul A Madden - University of Oxford [Oxford]Pierre-Louis Taberna - Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l'énergiePatrice Simon - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche et d'ingenierie des matériauxYury Gogotsi - Department of Materials Science and Engineering and A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology InstituteMathieu Salanne - Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l'énergie
- Publication Details
- Nature materials, v 11(4)
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000301984600017
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84858798302
- Other Identifier
- 991014877861404721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Chemistry, Physical
- Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
- Physics, Applied
- Physics, Condensed Matter