Towards more efficient supercapacitors: when experiments and simulations uncover the mechanisms on the nanometer scale

Abstract

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices able to deliver electricity with a high power. They consist of porous carbon electrodes in a concentrated electrolyte. Charged is stored by the adsorption of ions at the electrode surface. Nanoporous carbons allow to store more electricity thanks to a charging mechanism that differs from carbons with larger pores. This mechanism has recently been uncovered by combining in situ experiments (nuclear magnetic resonance, electrochemical quartz microbalance) and molecular simulations.