Enhancing the performance and mechanical stability of 2D-based hybrid micro-supercapacitors using dendritic-gold as framework layer

In recent years scaling-down approaches on supercapacitors has led to the definition of Micro-Supercapacitors (μSC). The demand for these devices is increasing for many applications in microelectronics, such as wearable energy storage and self-powered sensors. Recently, many efforts have been made to achieve good results in terms of power and energy densities. However, the current research challenge is to develop a sustainable chain production, involving eco-friendly materials, such as water-based electrolytes, organic binders and low-impact active material. This work presents a hybrid μSC using low impact materials and a fully water-based solution. Different approaches were adopted for patterning the current collectors and for the deposition of the active materials. The material chosen as anode was MnO2 deposited by electroplating, which presents pseudocapacitive behavior. The active material used for the cathode was Activated Carbon (AC), deposited by drop-casting, which works through the electric double layer (EDL) capacitance effect. The electrolyte was 1 M Na2SO4 in water. We investigated the addition of an interlayer micro-structure made of Dendritic-Gold (D-Gold). The results show that such a layer seems to have positive effects in terms of wettability and mechanical stability, enhancing the adhesion of the active material. Electron microscopy measurement shows the characteristic tree-like shape of the layer. The device reports a capacitance of about 14 to 23 mF cm-2 and a large voltage window equal to 1.6 V. The present research explores, for the first time, the effects of dendritic gold in planar electrochemical capacitors. The findings should give an important contribution for boost energy storage densities in the field of 2D micro-supercapacitors.