Electrochemical double layer capacitor using a microemulsion electrolyte

Abstract

The use of aqueous electrolytes in energy storage devices is traditionally limited by the voltage stability window of water at 1.23 V. We present the use of a microemulsion based electrolyte which, although mostly water by mass, has a voltage stability window of up to 5 V. This allows the cost and safety benefits of aqueous electrolytes to finally be realised in high-voltage systems. Supercapacitors constructed using this electrolyte were able to achieve and maintain a capacitance of ~40 F/g and an energy density ~40 Wh/kg of with a Coulombic efficiency of 99\% for over 10,000 cycles on activated carbon.