High-performance supercabatteries using graphite@diamond nano-needle capacitor electrodes and redox electrolytes

Abstract

Supercabatteries have the characteristics of supercapacitors and batteries, namely high power and energy densities as well as long cycle life. To construct them, capacitor electrodes with wide potential windows and/or redox electrolytes are required. Herein, graphite@diamond nano-needles and an aqueous solution of Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− are utilized as the capacitor electrode and the electrolyte, respectively. This diamond capacitor electrode has a nitrogen-doped diamond core and a nano-graphitic shell. In 0.05 M Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− + 1.0 M Na₂SO₄ aqueous solution, the fabricated supercabattery has a capacitance of 66.65 mF cm⁻² at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹. It is stable over 10 000 charge/discharge cycles. The symmetric supercabattery device assembled using a two-electrode system possesses energy and power densities of 10.40 W h kg⁻¹ and 6.96 kW kg⁻¹, respectively. These values are comparable to those of other energy storage devices. Therefore, diamond supercabatteries are promising for many industrial applications.