Chapter 20 - Flexible supercapacitors based on nanocomposites of MOFs

Abstract

Flexible supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices capable of meeting the growing demand for the next generation of flexible, wearable, and portable electronic products. They offer several benefits such as flexibility, small size, high power densities, among others. However, the major bottleneck limiting their large-scale applications remains low energy densities. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit the potentials to fill this gap and have recently received considerable attention owing to their diverse structures and unique physicochemical properties. The capacitance and rate performance of pristine MOFs can be thwarted by poor electrical conductivity and low thermal and chemical stability. However, it can be remediated by fabricating MOF-based nanocomposites electrically conductive components and good stability. Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of recent advances in flexible supercapacitor electrode materials based on MOFs nanocomposites and presents them in categories. First, the most popular pathways to synthesize MOF-based electrode materials and the quintessential design strategies for flexible supercapacitor devices were summarized and discussed. Second, the effects of the nanocomposite components on the flexible supercapacitor performance were highlighted since there is a nexus between the structural composition of the electrode materials and capacitive storage performance. We conclude this chapter with a brief discussion of research prospects that can advance this emerging field. It is expected that this chapter will help researchers and industries to make informed decisions regarding the smart design of flexible supercapacitor devices with outstanding performance using MOF nanocomposites.