Stretchable microsupercapacitor arrays with a composite honeycomb structure

Abstract

Novel stretchable microsupercapacitor (MSC) arrays with single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) electrodes and a honeycomb polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate were fabricated and tested. The stretchability of the MSC array system is controlled by the deformation of the honeycomb PDMS structure. Unique features of the present stretchable MSC array include: (i) the strain in the MSCs is almost five orders of magnitude lower than the nominal strain applied to the entire device, (ii) the fabricated devices demonstrate a stretchability up to 150% without undergoing discernible capacity degradation, and (iii) the MSC arrays exhibit excellent rate capability, as demonstrated by the rectangular characteristics of cyclic voltammetry (CV) responses obtained for a scan rate up to 100 V/s. The excellent stretchability characteristics and high charge/discharge rate make the present stretchable MSC arrays good candidates for a wide range of applications in wearable electronic systems.