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Evaluating the Role of Nanostructured Current Collectors in Energy Storage Capability of Supercapacitor Electrodes with Thick Electroactive Materials Layers
Author(s) -
Liu Long,
Zhao Huaping,
Wang Yi,
Fang Yaoguo,
Xie Jiale,
Lei Yong
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201705107
Subject(s) - supercapacitor , materials science , current collector , nanorod , electrode , energy storage , conformal coating , nanotechnology , capacitance , layer (electronics) , coating , electrical conductor , composite material , electrolyte , power (physics) , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Electroactive materials (especially pseudocapacitive materials) are generally in the form of ultrathin conformal coating in supercapacitor electrodes based on nanostructured current collectors; thus, the resultant low mass loading of electroactive materials largely limits the applications of nanostructured current collectors. Here, supercapacitor electrodes with nickel nanorod arrays as nanostructured current collectors and MnO 2 as electroactive materials are fabricated to study the role of nanostructured current collectors in determining the energy storage capability when electroactive materials are in thick layer rather than ultrathin conformal coating. Electrochemical analysis reveals that Ni nanorods could create numerous electrical conductive tunnels in the thick‐layer electrodes to dramatically alleviate the contact resistance at the electroactive‐material/current‐collector interface. With 1 µm thick MnO 2 layer, the Ni nanorods based electrodes have much higher areal capacitance than those with Ni foils as current collectors, which is more than six times of that with the same MnO 2 mass loading or more than 18 times of that with the same 1 µm thick MnO 2 layer. Moreover, better rate capability and higher structural stability is maintained in Ni nanorods based electrodes even with 3 µm thick MnO 2 layer. These results open up new opportunities for nanostructured current collectors to construct supercapacitors with superior energy storage capability.