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Improved accessibility of porous carbon electrodes with surfactant ionic liquids for supercapacitors

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Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising electrolytes for supercapacitors due to their wide electrochemical window. However, most ILs are viscous in nature and require diffusional and rotational transformations to access the pore space of common supercapacitor electrodes. In this study, novel anionic surfactant ILs (ASILs) are synthesized to lubricate the electrode surface to improve pore accessibility by IL ions. ASIL composition (0–10 wt%) and temperature (22–150 °C)-dependent capacitances, as a measure of pore accessibility and wettability, are determined by cyclic voltammetry. 10 wt% 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium docusate, [PYR14][AOT], in the base IL 1-propyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [PYR13][TFSI], exhibits the highest specific capacitance (202 F g−1 at 150 °C and 10 mV s−1), compared to [PYR13][TFSI] (160 F g−1). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements indicate resistive charging for ASIL/IL electrolyte compared to the base IL at 22 °C due to reduced conductivity—a consequence of larger non-polar domains. However, at elevated temperatures (> 100 °C), electrolyte resistance is circumvented as the viscosity is reduced. The wide voltage window of ILs and improved wettability by ASILs can be coupled to maximize energy storage capability of supercapacitors for high-temperature power applications.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank the Case Western Reserve University Capacitor Facility, specifically Dr John Miller, Mirko Antloga, and Becca Segeel for supplying the electrodes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Ningjin Xu, Jeffrey M. Klein, Phoebe Huang & Burcu E. Gurkan

  2. Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    Huda A. Alwusaydi & Elizabeth K. Mann

Authors
  1. Ningjin Xu
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  2. Jeffrey M. Klein
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  3. Phoebe Huang
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  4. Huda A. Alwusaydi
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  6. Burcu E. Gurkan
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Contributions

NX synthesized ASILs and performed the physical property and electrochemical measurements. JMK carried out the EIS fit and analysis. PH performed TGA and DSC measurements. HA measured surface tension. EM supervised surface tension measurements. BEG designed the experiments and supervised all activities. All authors contributed to writing the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Burcu E. Gurkan.

Electronic supplementary material

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10800_2018_1266_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Supplementary material 1 Additional details of IL characterization, CV and EIS experiments, and fitted parameters for EIS. (DOCX 1909 KB)

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Xu, N., Klein, J.M., Huang, P. et al. Improved accessibility of porous carbon electrodes with surfactant ionic liquids for supercapacitors. J Appl Electrochem 49, 151–162 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-018-1266-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-018-1266-3

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