Recent developments in supercapacitor electrode materials: design, performance, and future perspectives

Abstract

Supercapacitors have gained massive attention as next-generation energy storage devices because of their high power density, long cycle life, fast charge–discharge rate, and good environmental sustainability. Their role in energy storage and harvesting is crucial, specifically in advanced portable electronic devices. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in supercapacitor research by covering the design of electrode materials and the advancements in developing novel materials. The recent developments in the fields of electric double-layer capacitors, hybrid supercapacitors, and pseudocapacitors, with a particular focus on their electrode materials, are also discussed. The major focus is on two-dimensional (2D) materials including carbon aerogels, carbon foams, carbide-derived carbons, graphenes, CNTs, activated carbons, TMDs, h-BN, MXenes, and carbon nitrides, which exhibit excellent electrochemical properties for supercapacitor applications. Transition metal oxides such as RuO₂, ZnO, NiO, Co₃O₄, MnO₂, Fe₂O₃/Fe₃O₄ and V₂O₅ are also enticing electrode materials for supercapacitors owing to their excellent redox behavior and high energy density. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are discussed, along with providing potential strategies for electrode performance enhancements.