Scalable Design of Structural Supercapacitor Composites with Enhanced Multifunctional Performance via Sustainable Fabrication

Structural supercapacitors composite (SSC) are multifunctional composites capable of simultaneously bearing mechanical loads and storing energy, regarded as an effective strategy to improve the volumetric efficiency and achieve lightweighting in next-generation energy systems. This research presents a novel design of SSCs using simple, affordable, and sustainable processes that feature a non-toxic fabrication approach, with the aim of lowering the barriers to large-scale manufacturing that have long existed in this field. To this end, an all-solid-state supercapacitor (SC) with excellent toughness and capacitance was developed. Carbon fabric, employed as electrodes, endowed the SC with mechanical strength comparable to conventional composites, while the challenge of low specific surface area (SSA) was addressed by grafting carbon nanotubes via electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The results show a fivefold increase in SSA and a 25-fold enhancement in capacitance after treating the bare carbon fabric for 10 minutes at 10 V. A solid electrolyte film based on PVA/H3PO4 was also investigated. The freeze-thaw processed electrolyte film exhibited a proton conductivity of 4.18 × 10-3 S cm-1, nearly 56 times higher than the unprocessed electrolyte film, along with a doubled degree of crystallinity. Additionally, the thermoplastic nature of PVA facilitated the formation of an intimate and cohesive electrode–electrolyte interface. The SSC was manufactured by integrating the supercapacitor layer into the structural component, followed by curing through the vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. This structural design demonstrated a synergistic interaction between the supercapacitor layer and the structural component, as evidenced by the concurrent improvements in both flexural compliance and capacitance. Notably, the SSC maintained its electrochemical function throughout the mechanical testing; even after complete structural failure, its electrochemical performance was only minimally affected. This characteristic could effectively prevent sudden electrical failure, thereby improving fail-safe performance in high reliability applications, including electric vehicles, spacecraft, and emergency response systems.

Citation

Li, X. (2025). Scalable Design of Structural Supercapacitor Composites with Enhanced Multifunctional Performance via Sustainable Fabrication [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Chester.

Publisher

University of Chester

URI

https://chesterrep.openrepository.com/handle/10034/629899

Type

Thesis or dissertation

Language

en