Self-healing and wide temperature tolerant flexible supercapacitor based on ternary-network organo-hydrogel electrolyte

A novel ternary network organo-hydrogel electrolyte is developed to improve the environ-mental adaptability of flexible supercapacitors. The ternary network electrolyte is composed of graphene/boric acid/polyvinyl alcohol matrix and methyl sulfoxide/water/H2SO4 mixture. A flexible supercapacitor with a sandwich structure is further assembled with the electrolyte and two polyaniline fiber/carbon cloth electrodes. The supercapacitor exhibits a high capacitance retention rate (90%) after 5 cutting/self-healing cycles. Furthermore, super -capacitors have high specific capacitance and capacitance retention on a wide temperature range of-65 degrees C-65 degrees C. The specific capacitance of supercapacitor is about 237.8 F/g and 152 F/g at 65 degrees C and-65 degrees C, in which the corresponding capacitance retention of super -capacitor is about 110.5% and 70.7%, respectively. The work provides an effective strategy to design and prepare flexible electrolyte with broad temperature adaptability, good self -healing ability and good mechanical flexibility for flexible energy storage devices.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.