Graphene oxide/carbon fiber composite structural supercapacitor with stable electrochemical performance under surface load bearing

In response to the development needs for lightweight and functional aviation electric aircraft, as well as cleaner and sustainable green energy, this study designed a graphene oxide-based carbon fiber structural supercapacitor with integrated structure and energy storage capabilities. It possesses electrical storage stability and meets mechanical load-bearing requirements. We focused on the electrochemical stability of the GO/CF1 structural supercapacitor under load-bearing conditions. Experimental results showed that capacitance retention was 99.98% over 10,000 cycles, with a coulombic efficiency of 96.27% at 0.1 mA/cm2. Under a 30 kPa load-bearing condition, the capacitance retention and coulombic efficiency of the GO/CF1 structural supercapacitor were approximately 99.58% and 94.34%, respectively, at 0.05 mA/cm2 over 15,000 cycles. The GO/CF1 structural electrode exhibited similar morphology and almost the same specific surface area in both unloaded and load-bearing states, elucidating the mechanism behind the stability of its electrochemical properties. Furthermore, the tensile strength and elastic modulus were 139.2 MPa and 8.6 GPa, respectively. This study demonstrated that the GO/CF1 structural supercapacitor maintains stable electrochemical performance under load-bearing conditions, offering a design solution for optimizing structural energy storage devices in aerospace applications.