Chapter 6 - Prospective Synthesis Approaches to Emerging Materials for Supercapacitor

Abstract

With the increasing need for electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors, energy storage materials are attracting special attention and such materials are rapidly being developed and reported. Although supercapacitors offer remarkable benefits, including high power capability, a long life cycle, and fast charge–discharge, they still have low storage capacity. Hence, considerable effort has focused on increasing their energy capabilities. Porous carbons, graphitic materials, conducting polymers, and transition metal oxides as active materials have frequently been reported and are continuously being studied. To improve the energy capabilities of those materials, various strategies have been implemented, including: (1) development of their specific surface area and pore size control, (2) prevention of stack problems, (3) improving their wettability to increase their practical contact area with the electrolyte, (4) use of hybrid nanomaterials with two or more materials. Furthermore, scalable, green, and efficient synthesis methods have been developed for the practical use of graphitic materials as active materials. In this chapter, we present a brief overview of the basic concepts of supercapacitors and active materials. Furthermore, the fundamentals, functionalities, challenges, and prospects of different classes of emerging materials for energy storage applications, such as those just mentioned, will be discussed.