A 2.5 V In-Plane Flexi-Pseudocapacitor with Unprecedented Energy and Cycling Efficiency for All-Weather Applications

Abstract

As electronic devices for aviation, space, and satellite applications become more sophisticated, built-in energy storage devices also require a wider temperature spectrum. Herein, an all-climate operational, energy and power-dense, flexible, in-plane symmetric pseudocapacitor is demonstrated with utmost operational safety and long cycle life. The device is constructed with interdigital-patterned laser-scribed carbon-supported electrodeposited V5O12·6H2O as a binder-free electrode and a novel high-voltage anti-freezing water-in-salt-hybrid electrolyte. The anti-freezing electrolyte can operate over a wide temperature range of −40–60 °C while offering a stable potential window of ≈2.5 V. The device undergoes rigorous testing under diverse environmental conditions, including rapid and regular temperature and mechanical transition over multiple cycles. Additionally, detailed theoretical simulation studies are performed to understand the interfacial interactions with the active material as well as the local behavior of the anti-freeze electrolyte at different temperatures. As a result, the all-weather pseudocapacitor at 1 A g−1 shows a high areal capacitance of 234.7 mF cm−2 at room temperature and maintains a high capacitance of 129.8 mF cm−2 even at −40 °C. Besides, the cell operates very reliably for over 80 950 cycles with a capacitance of 25.7 mF cm−2 at 10 A g−1 and exhibits excellent flexibility and bendability under different stress conditions. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.