Advances in materials and structures of supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are a new type of energy storage device between batteries and conventional electrostatic capacitors. Compared with conventional electrostatic capacitors, supercapacitors have outstanding advantages such as high capacity, high power density, high charging/discharging speed, and long cycling life, which make them widely used in many fields such as electronics, aerospace, and vehicles. However, the low energy density of supercapacitors limits their large-scale applications. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop high energy density supercapacitors and use as power sources for practical devices. In order to improve the performance of supercapacitors, the study of materials and structures is very important. In this paper, the research progresses of common materials and structures of some supercapacitors are reviewed. The related properties and device characterizations of carbon-based, conductive polymer and metal compound electrode materials are introduced. The structures of electrode materials, structures of devices, and corresponding properties are discussed.