Study and Characterization of Solid State, Flexible, Wire-Shaped Supercapacitor for Textile Energy Storage Purpose

Abstract

Flexible and lightweight energy storage devices have become increasingly important for the development of wearable and portable electronics. In this work, we present a novel wire-shape supercapacitor based on carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns and an ionic liquid based polymer electrolyte. The combination of these materials offers high surface area, high conductivity and excellent flexibility, making them a promising candidate for flexible energy storage.The CNT yarns were characterized in a three-electrode configuration by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) either in water-based electrolytes and polymer electrolytes. The polymer electrolytes were prepared by mixing polymers with ionic liquid, which was characterized by thermal analysis and electrochemical measurements.The wire-shape supercapacitor was assembled by coating two CNT yarns with the polymer electrolyte and twisting them together. The devices exhibited high specific capacitance for a waterless system, additionally, they maintained their performance even under extreme deformation: the flexibility of the devices were tested by bending at different angles .Overall, this work highlights the advantages of using CNT yarns and ionic liquid polymer electrolytes for the development of flexible and high-performance supercapacitors. The wire-shape design of the device offers additional advantages for integration into wearable or flexible electronics, providing a promising path towards the development of highly efficient and adaptable energy storage systems.