Recent progress in multifunctional hydrogel-based supercapacitors

Abstract

Hydrogel-based supercapacitors with excellent mechanical properties can overcome several unsettled challenges that current wearable power supply devices confront as a result of the distinctive dense intriguing nanostructures of hydrogels, which serve as an ideal candidate with durability and reliability for supplying power to truly wearable electronics. More importantly, benefiting from the broadly tunable physicochemical characterizations, the hydrogel electrolyte components with high ionic conductivity could possess several additional functions including ultrahigh stretchability, strong self-healability, and low-temperature tolerance, which qualifies these multifunctional supercapacitors for application in a variety of extreme working environments, especially in significant deformations caused by human-motion, conditions of applied destructive external force, and extremely frigid circumstances. Herein, the state-of-the-art advanced multifunctional supercapacitors are discussed, focusing on the introductions and explanations of particularly functionalized hydrogel electrolytes, ultra-flexible textile-based electrodes or hydrogel-based electrodes, and the combination strategies of electrolytes and electrodes.