The emergence of micropower-type applications such as self-powered sensors and miniaturized electronic systems has increased interest in on-chip electrochemical energy storage such as microsupercapacitors. Microsupercapacitors (MSCs) are high rate and high power yet miniaturized versions of macroscopic supercapacitors. MSCs with planar configuration have higher power density at potentially comparable energy density to thin-film batteries, while possessing essentially infinite cycle life. They could also offer compatible integration with smart electronic devices on an integrated chip (IC). In this dissertation, state-of-the-art microsupercapacitors based on Ti3C2Tx MXene and other pseudocapacitive electrode materials are proposed. The proposed strategies involve engineering both intrinsic properties of materials, fabrication methods and device architecture.

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This thesis presents work relating to the fabrication of novel thin film electrodes for energy storage applications, with a focus on low cost, nanostructured transition metal oxides, and electrode manufacture by atomised spray deposition. Iron oxide (FeO_x) nanowires were synthesised hydrothermally and combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) in sprayed electrodes, which provided the necessary conductivity enhancement for effective energy storage. The spray processing technique allowed for facile control over the relative fraction of MWNTs in the sprayed electrodes. Optimised electrodes were investigated in a range of aqueous electrolytes, and the best energy storage behaviour occurred in Na₂SO₃ with a maximum capacitance from cyclic voltammetry of 312 Fg^-1 at a scan rate of 2 mVs^-1. The FeO_x/MWNT electrodes were investigated for their suitability as lithium-ion battery anodes and showed reasonable energy storage behaviour. Nickel oxide (NiO) electrodes were manufactured by hydrothermal synthesis and annealing followed atomised spray deposition. The performance of the NiO electrodes was enhanced though combination with aqueous graphene suspensions, produced in-house by ultrasonic exfoliation of graphite. The processing route used to combine the nanomaterials was considered and a co-synthesis route resulted in the best performing electrodes. Different substrates were investigated, as the most commonly used Ni-foam substrate reacted with the basic electrolytes necessary for electrochemical activity of NiO. NiO/graphene electrodes showed charge/discharge capacitances of up to 571 Fg^-1 at a current density of 10 Ag^-1, which was maintained at over 300 F/g at a very high current density of 100 Ag^-1. Asymmetric supercapacitor devices were constructed using various combinations of FeO_x, NiO, and commercial carbon black electrodes to extend the operating potential window beyond the ~1.23 V limit of symmetric aqueous-electrolyte devices. Power densities of over 20 kWkg^-1 were achieved for an FeO_x/MWNT-carbon device, which was comparable with current commercial carbon-only supercapacitors.

Double layer capacitors owe their large capacitance to high specific surface area carbon-based electrode materials adhered to a current collector via an adhesive. However, recent studies attribute greater electrical energy storage capacity to transition metal oxides/nitrides: a new generation of electrode materials for use in super-capacitors with mixed double-layer and pseudo-capacitive properties. Solution precursor plasma spray deposition is a technique that allows coatings to be fabricated with fine grain sizes, high porosity levels, and high surface area; characteristics ideal for application as super-capacitor electrodes. This investigation established conditions for deposition of porous, high specific surface area α-MoO3. It further identified a two-step temperature-programmed reaction for topotactic phase transformation of the α-MoO3 deposits into high specific surface area molybdenum nitrides of higher conductivity and higher electrochemical stability window. The electrochemical behavior of molybdenum oxide/nitride deposits was also studied in order to assess their potential for use in super-capacitors.

Double layer capacitors owe their large capacitance to high specific surface area carbon-based electrode materials adhered to a current collector via an adhesive. However, recent studies attribute greater electrical energy storage capacity to transition metal oxides/nitrides: a new generation of electrode materials for use in super-capacitors with mixed double-layer and pseudo-capacitive properties. Solution precursor plasma spray deposition is a technique that allows coatings to be fabricated with fine grain sizes, high porosity levels, and high surface area; characteristics ideal for application as super-capacitor electrodes. This investigation established conditions for deposition of porous, high specific surface area α-MoO3. It further identified a two-step temperature-programmed reaction for topotactic phase transformation of the α-MoO3 deposits into high specific surface area molybdenum nitrides of higher conductivity and higher electrochemical stability window. The electrochemical behavior of molybdenum oxide/nitride deposits was also studied in order to assess their potential for use in super-capacitors.

Energijos kaupiklių kūrimas pastaraisiais metais tapo svarbia mokslo aktualija. Elektrocheminiai kondensatoriai pasižymi didesne galia, ilgesniu savaiminio išsikrovimo laiku ir didesniu darbo ciklų skaičiumi negu tradicinės elektrocheminės baterijos. Didžiausia savitąja talpa pasižymi RuO2, tačiau jo praktinį taikymą riboja didelė kaina, todėl ieškoma pigesnių pakaitalų. Pastaraisiais metais aktyviai tiriamas kobalto oksidas. Svarbu yra surasti ekonomiškai efektyvius ir paprastus metodus, leidžiančius padidinti kobalto oksidų pseudotalpas. Darbe nustatytos elektrocheminio Co nusodinimo sąlygos, kurioms esant yra formuojama pluoštinė nanostruktūra, pasižyminti dideliu paviršiaus plotu. Anodinės poliarizacijos būdu buvo suformuoti kobalto hidro/oksido sluoksniai ir ištirta jų pseudotalpa ant skirtingų substratų: nanostruktūrinės, magnetroninės-plazminės dangos ir metalurginio Co. Pseudotalpinė kobalto hidro/oksidų elgsena buvo ištirta ciklinės voltamperometrijos metodu kartu su elektrocheminėmis kvarco kristalo svarstyklėmis (EKKM). Oksidiniai sluoksniai parodė grįžtamą redukcijos-reoksidacijos ir atitinkamą pseudotalpinę elgseną. Per kelis tūkstančius anodinių ciklų buvo parodyta, kad oksidinis sluoksnis išliko stabilus. Nustatyta, kad hidro/oksidų, suformuotų ant nanostruktūrinės Co dangos, talpa maždaug 5 kartus didesnė nei suformuotų ant metalurginio Co. Šiame darbe pasiūlytas naujas kobalto oksido formavimo būdas: sulfidinės Co(OH)2–CoS kompozicijos formavimas ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Design of high efficiency energy accumulators has recently become an important issue of science and technology. Electrochemical capacitors are distinguished for a greater power, a longer self-discharge time and a greater number of work cycles as compared to those of traditional electrochemical batteries. Effective supercapacitors are mainly produced of RuO2, which is distinguished from other metals for its nearly highest specific capacity, however its practical application is limited by its high price, therefore efforts are under way to find cheaper substitutes. Recently cobalt oxide has been intensively studied. It is important to find economically effective and simple methods which will make it possible to increase the pseudocapacities of cobalt oxides. The conditions of electrochemical cobalt deposition, under which the fiber Co nanostructure possessing a great surface area is formed, have been determined in the work. Cobalt hydro/oxide layers were formed by the anodic polarization method and their pseudocapacity was studied on various substrates: nanostructured, magnetron-sputtered coating and metallurgical cobalt. The pseudocapacitor behaviour of cobalt hydro/oxides was studied by using the cyclic voltammetry method along with electrochemical quartz crystal mocrobalance (EKKM). Oxide layers showed oxidation-reduction and corresponding pseudo-capacitor behaviour.It has been shown that the oxide layer is stable and it withstands a few thousand polarization cycles. It has... [to full text]

Design of high efficiency energy accumulators has recently become an important issue of science and technology. Electrochemical capacitors are distinguished for a greater power, a longer self-discharge time and a greater number of work cycles as compared to those of traditional electrochemical batteries. Effective supercapacitors are mainly produced of RuO2, which is distinguished from other metals for its nearly highest specific capacity, however its practical application is limited by its high price, therefore efforts are under way to find cheaper substitutes. Recently cobalt oxide has been intensively studied. It is important to find economically effective and simple methods which will make it possible to increase the pseudocapacities of cobalt oxides. The conditions of electrochemical cobalt deposition, under which the fiber Co nanostructure possessing a great surface area is formed, have been determined in the work. Cobalt hydro/oxide layers were formed by the anodic polarization method and their pseudocapacity was studied on various substrates: nanostructured, magnetron-sputtered coating and metallurgical cobalt. The pseudocapacitor behaviour of cobalt hydro/oxides was studied by using the cyclic voltammetry method along with electrochemical quartz crystal mocrobalance (EKKM). Oxide layers showed oxidation-reduction and corresponding pseudo-capacitor behaviour.It has been shown that the oxide layer is stable and it withstands a few thousand polarization cycles. It has... [to full text] / Energijos kaupiklių kūrimas pastaraisiais metais tapo svarbia mokslo aktualija. Elektrocheminiai kondensatoriai pasižymi didesne galia, ilgesniu savaiminio išsikrovimo laiku ir didesniu darbo ciklų skaičiumi negu tradicinės elektrocheminės baterijos. Didžiausia savitąja talpa pasižymi RuO2, tačiau jo praktinį taikymą riboja didelė kaina, todėl ieškoma pigesnių pakaitalų. Pastaraisiais metais aktyviai tiriamas kobalto oksidas. Svarbu yra surasti ekonomiškai efektyvius ir paprastus metodus, leidžiančius padidinti kobalto oksidų pseudotalpas. Darbe nustatytos elektrocheminio Co nusodinimo sąlygos, kurioms esant yra formuojama pluoštinė nanostruktūra, pasižyminti dideliu paviršiaus plotu. Anodinės poliarizacijos būdu buvo suformuoti kobalto hidro/oksido sluoksniai ir ištirta jų pseudotalpa ant skirtingų substratų: nanostruktūrinės, magnetroninės-plazminės dangos ir metalurginio Co. Pseudotalpinė kobalto hidro/oksidų elgsena buvo ištirta ciklinės voltamperometrijos metodu kartu su elektrocheminėmis kvarco kristalo svarstyklėmis (EKKM). Oksidiniai sluoksniai parodė grįžtamą redukcijos-reoksidacijos ir atitinkamą pseudotalpinę elgseną. Per kelis tūkstančius anodinių ciklų buvo parodyta, kad oksidinis sluoksnis išliko stabilus. Nustatyta, kad hidro/oksidų, suformuotų ant nanostruktūrinės Co dangos, talpa maždaug 5 kartus didesnė nei suformuotų ant metalurginio Co. Šiame darbe pasiūlytas naujas kobalto oksido formavimo būdas: sulfidinės Co(OH)2–CoS kompozicijos formavimas ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Supercapacitors are important electrochemical energy storage devices for microelectronic and telecommunication systems, electric cars, and smart grids. However, the energy densities of existing supercapacitors are still inadequate for many applications. Vanadium oxides have been studied as viable supercapacitor alternatives, with varying results. Methods are often complicated or time-consuming, and electrode fabrication often includes carbon powder and binder. The objective of this work was to study the effect of processing conditions on specific capacitance of supercapacitors based on vanadium oxides coated on carbon fiber papers. This study was conducted to form easily-fabricated compounds of vanadium oxides which could offer promise as pseudocapacitor material, and to nucleate these compounds directly onto inexpensive carbon fiber without binder. The incipient wetness impregnation technique was used to fabricate the electrodes. Electrochemical performance of the resulting electrodes was tested in a Swagelok-type electrochemical two-electrode cell, and the electrodes were characterized by XRD and SEM. Interesting nanofeatures were formed and the vanadium oxides exhibited pseudocapacitance at a respectable level.

[pt] Devido a grande poluição do meio ambiente, diferentes estratégias devem ser tomadas para remediação ambiental. Dentre as diversas estratégias, é possível citar adsorção de cátions metálicos de soluções aquosas, adsorção de fármacos, utilização e armazanamento de energia verde. Dito isso, o presente estudo relata a utilização das estratégias mencionadas. Portanto, foi utilizada nanofibras de celulose oxidada via TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetrametil-piperidinil-N-oxil), TCNF, para a remoção de cátions de ferro, zinco e cobalto. Sua capacidade adsortiva para a remoção de ferro e zinco puros apresentou valores de 5902 e 5633 Miligrama por grama−1 , respectivamente. Quando ferro e zinco removidos de uma mesma solução, a capacidade adsortiva de TCNF foi de 5852 e 5622 Miligrama por grama−1 . Para a adsorção de cobalto, sua concentração reduziu de 50 grama por litro−1 para 8,3 grama por litro−1 . Posteriormente, as amostras de TCNF impregnadas com metais foram levadas para calcinação, com objetivo de produção de óxidos nanoestruturados. Em temperaturas a partir de 300 graus C, fases de hematita são identificadas e a partir de 400 graus C fases de zincita e franklinita são identificadas por ajustes de Rietveld nos difratogramas obtidos. Adicionalmente, quando calcinadas em atmosfera inerte, é possível observar o surgimento de óxidos. Além disso, todas as morfologias foram analisadas via MET e MEV, e podem ser comparadas a um nanocoral com espessuras entre 20 e 30 nm. Então, as amotras de ferrita de zinco foram aplicadas em adsorção de tetraciclina, com capacidade adsortiva de 18 miligrama por grama−1 e também como capacitor, atingindo um valor de capacitância de 2031 Farad por grama−1 . A amostra contendo ferrita de cobalto foi utilizada como catalisador para extração de H2 de borohidreto e a quantidade de gás hidrogênio extraída girou em torno de 476,4 Litros de hidrogênio produzido por grama de borohidreto de sódio por grama de catalisador. A energia de ativação para a reação foi calculada em torno de 57 Quilojoules por mol−1 . Portanto, a inovadora rota de síntese de óxidos nanoetruturados aparenta ser promissora. / [en] Due to significant environmental pollution, different strategies require to be implemented for environmental remediation. Among the different approaches, it is possible to cite the adsorption of metallic cations from aqueous solutions, adsorption of pharmaceuticals, and the use and storage of green energy. With this in mind, the present study reports the use of the mentioned strategies. Thus, oxidized cellulose nanofibers, produced via TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidinyl-N-oxyl), TCNF, were used for the removal of iron, zinc, and cobalt cations from aqueous solution. Their adsorptive capacity for the removal of pure iron and zinc was 5902 and 5633 Milligram per gram−1 , respectively. When iron and zinc were removed from the same solution, the adsorptive capacity of TCNF was 5852 and 5622 Milligram per gram−1 , respectively. For cobalt adsorption, its concentration decreased from 50 gram per liter−1 to 8.3 gram per liter−1 . Subsequently, the TCNF samples impregnated with metals were subjected to calcination to produce nanostructured oxides. At temperatures above 300 C degrees, hematite phases were identified, and at 400 C degrees, zincite and franklinite phases were identified through Rietveld refinements of the obtained diffractograms. Additionally, when calcined in an inert atmosphere, the appearance of oxides was observed. Moreover, all morphologies were analyzed via TEM and SEM, resembling a nanocoral with thicknesses between 20 and 30 nm. The zinc ferrite samples were applied to tetracycline adsorption with an adsorptive capacity of 18 miligram per gram−1 and also as a capacitor, achieving a capacitance value of 2031 Farad per gram−1 . The cobalt ferrite sample was used as a catalyst for hydrogen extraction from borohydride, and the amount of extracted H2 was around 476.4 liters of hydrogen produced per gram of sodium borohydride per gram of catalyst. The activation energy for the reaction was calculated to be approximately 57 Kilojoules per mole−1 . Therefore, the innovative route for the synthesis of nanostructured oxides appears to be promising.

Ce mémoire porte sur les recherches et les développements dans le domaine des électrolytes à base de liquide ionique redox. Une nouvelle famille de liquide ionique redox basée sur le ferrocenylsulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) (FcNTf) a été développée et étudiée pour la première fois afin de démontrer le potentiel de ces liquides ioniques dans les dispositifs de stockage d’énergie. En premier lieu, les liquides ioniques redox (RILs) composés de l’anion électroactif et du cation d’alkylimidazolium sont synthétisés et caractérisés. L’impact de la variation des chaînes alkyles du cation sur les propriétés physicochimiques et électrochimiques du RIL a été étudié. À une faible concentration en solution, l’impact du cation a peu d’influence sur l’ensemble des propriétés. Cependant, à haute concentration (>50 % massique) et sans électrolyte de support, la formation de films en oxydation a été observée à l'électrode positive. Ce point est intéressant pour les futures recherches et développements dans le domaine, puisque la variation des chaînes alkyles du cation des liquides ioniques redox et la formation de films lors de l’oxydation du FcNTf est peu connue et comprise en littérature. De plus, l’optimisation des conditions de solution d'électrolyte RIL dans les supercapaciteurs est aussi présentée. En deuxième lieu, la mise en application des RILs dans les supercapaciteurs a été testée. La performance énergétique et le mécanisme d’autodécharge ont été ciblés dans cette étude. En présence de l’électrolyte redox, la contribution des réactions faradaiques permet d'accomplir un gain énergique de 287 % versus les systèmes purement capacitifs. À cause de la formation de film à l’électrode, l’électrolyte redox FcNTf joue un rôle primordial dans la prévention de l’autodécharge versus les liquides ioniques qui étaient connus jusqu’à présent. Finalement, ce mémoire a permis de mieux comprendre les effets structure-propriétés relative aux modifications du cation chez les liquides ioniques redox. / This thesis is focuses on the development of redox ionic liquid electrolytes for supercapacitors. A new family of redox ionic liquids (RILs) based on ferrocenylsulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) (FcNTf) is reported, which show great potential as functional materials for energy storage devices. For the first part, RILs with electro-active anion and alkylimidazolium cations are synthesised and characterized. The impact of the variation of the imidazolium cation alkyl chain on the electrochemical and physicochemical properties is analysed. At lower concentrations of RIL, the cation structure has little impact on the solution properties. However, at higher concentrations, (>50 wt. %) and without supporting electrolyte, formation of a thin film on the electrode surface accompanies the oxidation process. The thin film formation has great impact for the control of deposition of the charged species on the electrode. The influence of the cation structure on the RIL and film deposition during the oxidation reaction is not well understood in the literature so far. In addition, optimisation of RILs as electrolytes for supercapacitors is also presented. In the second part, the RIL electrolyte is tested in supercapacitor cells. With faradaic contribution from the redox electrolyte, an increase of 287% in the energy is observed versus capacitive electrochemical systems. Furthermore, the film layer formation achieved by the use of FcNTf redox ionic liquid is an effective way to prevent the self-discharge of redox-active electrolyte supercapacitor. This thesis has helped to understand the structure-property relationships of redox ionic liquids.