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Abstract Herein we illustrate the functionality as pseudocapacitive material of tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanochannel layers fabricated by electrochemical anodization of W metal in pure hot ortho-phosphoric acid (o-H3PO4). These layers are characterized by a defined nanochannel morphology and show remarkable pseudocapacitive behaviour in the negative potential (−0.8–0.5 V) in neutral aqueous electrolyte (1 M Na2SO4). The maximum volumetric capacitance of 397 F cm−3 is obtained at 2 A cm−3. The WO3 nanochannel layers display full capacitance retention (up to 114%) after 3500 charge-discharge cycles performed at 10 A cm−3. The relatively high capacitance and retention ability are attributed to the high surface area provided by the regular and defined nanochannel morphology. Kinetic analysis of the electrochemical results for the best performing WO3 structures, i.e., grown by 2 h-long anodization, reveals the occurrence of pseudocapacitance and diffusional controlled processes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show for the same structures a relatively low electrical resistance, which is the plausible cause for the superior electrochemical behaviour compared to the other structures.

Three‐dimensional (3D) electrode design has great advantages over its two‐dimensional (2D) counterparts, including higher mass loading of active material, enhanced ion diffusion, and electron charge transfer. Commercial 3D porous structures (i.e., Ni foams) do not fit the purpose of the ideal 3D electrode for supercapacitors, in which surface area (per cm2) is more important than large pore volume. These characteristics, however, can be tuned by the dynamic hydrogen bubble template (DHBT) electrodeposition, a route that is used to tailor 3D nanostructured (multi‐) metallic porous surfaces. In addition to the higher surface area and tailored porosity, these 3D nanostructures can be subsequently functionalized with different species such as metal oxides or other compounds. Therefore, a facile two‐step electrochemical fabrication of 3D composite electrode composed of a bimetallic foam functionalized with manganese (Mn) oxide is proposed. The effect of applied current densities on the distribution and structure of Mn oxide (MnOx) electrodeposited over the bare foam is discussed. The results demonstrate that this route paves the way to design high‐surface‐area architectures for charge storage electrodes with enhanced electrochemical performance (194 F g−1 mg−1 of electrodeposited MnOx at 0.5 A g−1) and high charge–discharge rate capabilities (91% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1) for supercapacitor applications.

Abstract High power pseudocapacitors are extremely relevant to answer specific needs in the current energy transition arena and to implement an efficient renewable energy society. However, literature shows that are still open gaps concerning improvement of their energy density at high power, conversion efficiency, cost and cycle life. Electrodes based on active transition metal compounds, and in particular metal sulphides, evidence high potential to meet these objectives. This work discusses the dependence on the synthesis route of the charge storage mechanism of manganese sulphide-based materials and relates the pseudocapacitive response of these electrodes with their polycrystalline nature. Results reveal that a manganese oxy-sulphide mixture can achieve a high specific capacitance of 231 F.g−1 at 0.5 A/g in a 0.65 V active window. These values represent a 31.5 % increase compared to pure rambergite, γ-MnS, and 436 % compared to pure hausmannite Mn3O4 prepared under the same conditions. Moreover, the results show that manganese oxy-sulphide electrodes are characterized by good charge retention (73%), and superior long term capacity retention (above 86%) after 5000 cycles, evidencing potential for high power energy storage applications.

This work reports, for the first time, the use of ion-selective localized electrochemical techniques to elucidate the charge-discharge mechanism of nickel-cobalt hydroxide electrodes for electrochemical energy storage. The charge-discharge mechanism of electrodeposited nickel-cobalt hydroxide electrodes was studied in Na2SO4 0.05 M by localized in situ measurements of pH, pNa and dissolved O2 during cyclic voltammetry. Local pH and pNa distributions were recorded using micro-potentiometric sensors with liquid membrane, while dissolved O2 was monitored using a fiber-optic microsensor. These original results highlight how localized potentiometry can provide new insights to better understand the charge mechanism of metal (hydr)oxide electrodes by directly measuring the concentrations/activities of relevant species at the electrode-electrolyte interface during charge-discharge.

Cyclic Voltammetry is an analysis method for characterizing the behaviors of electrochemically active materials by measuring current through defined potential sweeps. The current–potential relationship depends on key variables such concentration of electrolyte, electron-transfer rate, and the distance and time of species in relation to the electroactive surface of the material. A MATLAB® simulation was developed on a diffusion and kinetics basis, simulating the equations of Fick’s second law and Butler–Volmer, respectively, towards understanding the energy-storage mechanisms of cobalt hydroxide electrodes. The simulation was compared to a real cobalt hydroxide system, showing an accurate approximation to the experimentally obtained response and deviations possibly related to other physical/chemical processes influencing the involved species.

The use of room temperature cathodic electrodeposition to produce MnO2 electrochemical capacitor electrodes is demonstrated.