Self-supported flexible supercapacitor based on carbon fibers covalently combined with monoaminophthalocyanine

Abstract

Flexible energy-storage technologies that can be conformal with deformation as well as maintain their electrochemical functions is consistently and significantly considered. Therefore, reinforcing the connection between active materials and supports is particularly pivotal. In this work, as a flexible support, Ar plasma treated carbon cloth (CC) combines with monoaminophthalocyanine (Pc-NH2) through covalent bond (amido bond) to make a flexible electrode, which hopes to achieve high stability. The synthesis of CC grafted with monoaminophthalocyanine was characterized using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It shows a high areal specific capacitance (CA) and energy density, up to 2.425 F cm−2 and 0.165 mWh cm−1 at 1 mA cm−2, that retains over 90.46% after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles, and exhibits the extra low charge transport resistance (Rct) possessed only 0.782 Ω. Moreover, superior flexibility could be reflected by bending material for 180°, which maintained areal capacitance with 95%. The fabricated symmetrical supercapacitor shows high stability holding 94.8% CA for 1000 bending cycle test and supplies power for a LED nearly 1 h with 0.003 m2. All these results illustrate the high performance of the active materials connected with the supports by powerful covalent bond.