Advanced Materials for Supercapacitors

摘要

18.1 INTRODUCTION Electricity is one of the most convenient forms of energy from the utilization point of view. Electrical energy storage (EES) technologies have wide applications covering portable electronic devices, electrical vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage. Particularly, effective EES is critical in the utilization of renewable energy generated from intermittent energy sources such as sunlight and wind. Supercapacitors and batteries are at the forefront of EES technologies. Although both technologies have their own established markets, broader applications require the combination of the high power density property of supercapacitors with the high energy density capability of batteries. Extensive research has been focused on the development of new electrode materials that can potentially hybridize the merits of these two types of EES technologies in one system. In this chapter, we review the progress in the development of advanced materials for supercapacitors and highlight the promising research directions. However, it is impossible to cover the vast research activities in this field in one short chapter. For interested readers, it is recommended to refer to the cited comprehensive review articles on specific topics for more details.