Skin-Like, Dynamically Stretchable, Planar Supercapacitors with Buckled Carbon Nanotube/Mn-Mo Mixed Oxide Electrodes and Air-Stable Organic Electrolyte

Abstract

For practical applications of high-performance supercapacitors as wearable energy storage devices attached to skin or clothes, the supercapacitors are recommended to have stable mechanical and electrochemical performances during dynamic deformations, including stretching, due to real-time movements of the human body. In this work, we demonstrate a skin-like, dynamically stretchable, planar supercapacitor (SPS). The SPS consists of buckled manganese/molybdenum (Mn/Mo) mixed oxide@multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrodes; organic gel polymer electrolyte of adiponitrile, succinonitrile, lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, and poly(methyl methacrylate); and a porous, elastomeric substrate. The addition of an Mn/Mo mixed oxide to the MWCNT film produces an 8-fold increase in the areal capacitance. The use of an organic solvent-based electrolyte enhances the operation cell voltage to 2 V and air stability to one month under ambient air conditions. The fabricated planar supercapacitors are biaxially stretchable up to 50% strain and maintain 90% of their initial capacitance after 1000 repetitive stretching/releasing cycles. Furthermore, the SPS exhibits stable electrochemical performance under dynamic stretching in real time regardless of the strain rate and performs reliably during repetitive bending/spreading motions of an index finger while attached to skin.