Hierarchically Structured Multidimensional Carbon Composite Anchored to a Polymer Mat for a Superflexible Supercapacitor

Abstract

A carbon electrode was designed to guarantee flexibility of symmetric electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) based on its architecture. Three different dimensional carbon materials were combined to achieve the flexibility without sacrificing high performances: highly capacitive but poorly conductive three-dimensional graphene (3D-Gn*) as a platform for electric double layer formation, one-dimensional carbon nanotube (1D-CNT) as an electrically conductive highway, and two-dimensional graphene (2D-Gn) for facilitating electron communications between 3D-Gn* and 1D-CNT. From a mechanical standpoint, the 1D-CNT provided an intertangled framework to integrate the main active material 3D-Gn* and anchored the active layer to a flexible polymer matrix. Resultantly, the symmetric EDLC based on the hierarchically structured multidimensional carbon electrodes anchored to flexible substrates was operated successfully at 3 V, ensuring high energy densities even under repetitive mechanical stress conditions.