New low-cost, polymer-based electrode can increase electrochemical performance of supercapacitors in wearable integrated devices

Source: The post is based on the article “New low-cost, polymer-based electrode can increase electrochemical performance of supercapacitors in wearable integrated devices” published in PIB on 1st August 2022.

What is the News?

A team of Indian scientists have developed a new low-cost, pristine, conducting polymer-based electrode/redox-active electrolyte combination that can give enhanced electrochemical performance and cycling stability to supercapacitors.

What are Supercapacitors?

Supercapacitors are electronic devices which are used to store extremely large amounts of electrical charge. They are also known as double-layer capacitors or ultracapacitors. 

Supercapacitors ​​combine the characteristics of conventional capacitors and batteries to give a sudden kick-start to devices by providing a large amount of power and sustained energy release.

The electrode materials of supercapacitors play a vital role in determining the performance and stability of energy devices. 

Conducting polymers like polyaniline and polypyrrole are excellent candidates for electrode materials owing to their flexibility, stability and tunable electrical and electrochemical properties. They are also inexpensive, lightweight and can be synthesized easily. 

However, supercapacitors fabricated using these electrodes fail to sustain the initial electrochemical capacitance after a few cycles of continuous operation. 

The poor energy density of these devices is another issue that limits the use of these devices in practical applications.

What have the scientists developed now?

Scientists have found a strategy to improve the performance of polyaniline(PANI)-based supercapacitors.

They found that electrodes made from polyaniline(PANI) when used with an electrolyte powered with an additive that boosts redox reactions (redox-additive) can drive these energy storage devices to deliver incredible performances.