Unveiling the Effects of Solvent Polarity within Graphene Based Electric Double-Layer Capacitors

Chenxuan Xu, Jingdong Zhu, Dedi Li, Xu Qian, Gang Chen and Huachao Yang ()
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Chenxuan Xu: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, China
Jingdong Zhu: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, China
Dedi Li: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, China
Xu Qian: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, China
Gang Chen: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, China
Huachao Yang: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Institute for Thermal Power Engineering, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: Solvents have been considered to show a profound influence on the charge storage of electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). However, the corresponding mechanisms remain elusive and controversial. In this work, the influences of solvent dipole moment on the EDL structures, kinetic properties, and charging mechanisms of graphene-based EDLCs are investigated with atomistic simulations. Specifically, electrolyte structuring is conspicuously modulated by solvents, where a sharp increment of capacitance (~325.6%) and kinetics (~10-fold) is documented upon the slight descent of polarity by ~33.0%. Unusually, such an impressive enhancement is primarily attributed to the suppressed interfacial electric fields stimulated by strong-polarity solvents in the proximity of electrodes, which goes beyond the previously observed issues that stemmed from the competitive interplays between ions and solvents. Moreover, a distinctive polarity-dependent charging mechanism (i.e., from pure counterion adsorption to coion desorption) is identified, which for the first time delineates the pivotal role of solvent polarity in manipulating the charge storage evolutions. The as-obtained findings highlight that exploiting the solvent effects could be a promising avenue to further advance the performances of EDLCs.

Keywords: solvent polarity; charge storage mechanism; kinetic property; molecular dynamics simulation; electric double-layer capacitors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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