A high-energy-density supercapacitor with graphene–CMK-5 as the electrode and ionic liquid as the electrolyte

Abstract

A graphene-based supercapacitor electrode suitable for ionic liquid electrolytes was designed and prepared based on the electrostatic interactions between negatively charged graphene oxides (GO) and positively charged mesoporous carbon CMK-5 platelets. Thermal annealing of the GO–CMK-5 composite under an inert atmosphere yielded a hierarchical carbon nanostructure with CMK-5 platelets uniformly intercalated between the GO sheets. The electrochemical results demonstrated that the CMK-5 platelets with straight and short mesochannels served as a highway for the fast transport of electrolyte ions, while the separated graphene sheets with more exposed electrochemical surface area favored the formation of electrical double layer capacitance. The RGO–CMK-5 electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 144.4 F g⁻¹ in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid electrolyte, which can be charged/discharged at an operating voltage of 3.5 V. As a result, an energy density of 60.7 W h kg⁻¹ and a power density as high as 10 kW kg⁻¹ were achieved, which outperforms most of the present graphene-based supercapacitors. Moreover, the superior rate performance together with the excellent cycle performance makes the RGO–CMK-5 composite a promising candidate for next generation supercapacitor electrodes.