Graphene-Based Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Abstract

A challenge the world is facing in the 21st century is how to meet mankind's increasing energy needs.Since electricity was discovered and exploited, more and more attention has been focused on effective energy storage technologies.During the past decades, the energy storage industry has continued to adapt to advances in technology to meet the requirements of new applications.With the development of portable electronics, electrical vehicles, renewable energy storage, and many other applications, there is an urgent need for a high power, stable and efficient energy storage device.Compared with batteries and fuel cells, supercapacitors can provide a high charging/discharging rate, high power density, and long cycling stability.However, the commercially available supercapacitor technologies suffer from low energy density, which is 1-2 orders lower than batteries.An ideal electrode for supercapacitor should be able to offer high surface area, porous morphology, high mechanical strength, and electrochemical stability.Graphene, as a good electrode candidate with a high surface area, physical and chemical stability and appealing electrical properties arising from its unique honeycomb lattice structure.There have been a variety of synthesis methods developed to produce graphene; however, the cost, throughput, material quality, and electrochemical performance fail to meet the requirements of the energy storage industry.The objective of this PhD research ix