Advanced Graphene-Based Supercapacitors for Energy Storage Applications

Graphene-based supercapacitors (SC) are rising as the most efficient and smart energy storage systems. Nonpareil physiochemical properties of graphene offer immense potential for their use in developing next-generation energy storage and portable devices. Since the rise of graphene, this material has been seen as the best alternative to activated carbon in SC applications. Being a 2D material, its high surface area enables it to store electrostatic charge even after high cycling. Since the first graphene-based SC was fabricated in 2008, this material has been explored beyond the boundaries of pristine graphene. The recent invention paved the way for ultrafast charging devices with excellent efficiency. However, the widespread use of these devices in daily life seems far-fetched, but recent results in graphene-based architectures are fetching these possibilities to life. In the last decade, various revamped and manipulated graphene derivatives have also been investigated and found to have great potential in SC applications. These derivatives have shown tremendous specific capacitance with enhanced cyclability. Graphene derivatives can even exhibit capacitance retention of almost 100% after 20,000 cycles. This book chapter discusses the current state of affairs in various graphene-based SC devices, such as crumpled graphene, graphene-metal oxide composites, graphene-based aerogels, graphene nanoparticle systems, graphene-based fibers, graphene/carbon-based hybrid composites for their potential application in the fabrication of efficient energy devices. This comprehensive study aims to analyze current trends and the opportunities and challenges offered by graphene and its derivatives in the development of nextgeneration SCs.

Keywords: DSSC, EDLC, Graphene, Supercapacitor, Solar-cell, Storage.