Chinese researchers develop ultrahigh-voltage integrated micro-supercapacitors with alterable shapes

SHENYANG - Chinese researchers have developed high voltage planar integrated micro-supercapacitors with superior flexibility.

The ultrahigh-voltage micro-supercapacitors were developed by a research group made up of scientists from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Institute of Metal Research of the CAS.

The boom of portable and wearable electronics has stimulated the urgent demand for miniature electrochemical energy storage devices with high flexibility and tailored performance. But the cost-effective and scalable fabrication of integrated micro-supercapacitors is yet to be achieved.

With assistance from low-cost, industrially applicable technology, the researchers demonstrated fast and scalable fabrication of graphene-based planar integrated micro-supercapacitors with shape diversity, versatility and outstanding flexibility.

The output voltage and capacitance of the integrated micro-supercapacitors are readily adjustable. To prove the validity of the concept, a tandem energy storage pack integrating 130 individual micro-supercapacitors in series can output a recorded voltage exceeding 100 volts, said the study published in the Energy and Environmental Science journal.

This work holds great potential for scalable fabrication and fast integration of other planar microscale energy storage devices, such as hybrid micro-supercapacitors and micro-batteries.