Enhancing Supercapacitor Performance Using Carbon Dots as Versatile Additives in Both Titanium Dioxide-Based Electrodes and Sodium Sulfate Electrolytes

In this work, carbon dots were synthesized from sodium polyacrylate and demonstrated as versatile, effective electrode/electrolyte additives for enhancing specific capacitance and cycling stability of supercapacitors. An addition of only 5 wt % carbon dots to the TiO2 electrode significantly improve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy & fuels 2022-04, Vol.36 (8), p.4564-4576
Main Authors: Pholauyphon, Wasinee, Bulakhe, Ravindra N, Manyam, Jedsada, In, Insik, Paoprasert, Peerasak
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Batteries and Energy Storage
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Summary:In this work, carbon dots were synthesized from sodium polyacrylate and demonstrated as versatile, effective electrode/electrolyte additives for enhancing specific capacitance and cycling stability of supercapacitors. An addition of only 5 wt % carbon dots to the TiO2 electrode significantly improved the specific capacitance by 348%. Furthermore, the addition of carbon dots to the Na2SO4 electrolyte additionally enhanced the specific capacitance by 229%. This results in a total improvement of 797%, almost eightfold better than the pristine TiO2 electrode and the Na2SO4 electrolyte. The fabricated supercapacitor exhibited an areal-specific capacitance of 247 mF cm–2, the highest to date among other TiO2-based supercapacitors using Na2SO4 electrolytes. Moreover, it showed extraordinary rate capability and 96% retention of specific capacitance after 5000 cycles. From electrochemical analysis and contact angle measurement, it was shown that the carbon dots improved the performance of the supercapacitor by synergistically lowering the series resistance and enhancing the diffusion-controlled process, surface wettability, and pathways for ion diffusion. Ionic mobility and hydrated ionic radius were also found to be the critical factors in supercapacitors. The carbon dots proved to be potent additives for both TiO2-based electrodes and Na2SO4 electrolytes. The supercapacitor developed here has potential for electronic applications that require energy storage devices that exhibit environmental friendliness, excellent stability, straightforward fabrication, and low cost.
ISSN:0887-0624
1520-5029
DOI:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c00060