Chapter 6 - Supercapacitors: prospects and future direction

Abstract

Electrochemical devices for energy storage play a crucial role in the energy dependent world for meeting the situation of fast depletion of fossil fuels. Among various possible electrochemical energy storage devices, supercapacitors have been attracting interest in both academic community and industrial production in the past few decades due to their desirable power density, fast charge/discharge rates, and favorable life cycles. Supercapacitors and rechargeable batteries are similar devices with negative electrodes, positive electrodes, and separators that are present with an electrolyte. Normally, supercapacitors can be considered as the intermediate between the conventional battery and dielectric capacitor. In these days, supercapacitors are employed in many applications, such as consumer electronics, possibly in transportation, grid balancing, and power back up replacing the use of batteries in these applications. Supercapacitors can also be used along with rechargeable batteries in order to provide additional power that is normally required in these applications.