High surface area 3D electrodes with solid electrolytes for energy dense supercapacitors

Supercapacitors as energy storage devices bridge the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries. Unlike batteries, which store energy through bulk electrochemical reactions with associated phase transformations, supercapacitors store energy primarily through surface reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interface. As a result, bulk diffusion of active cations through the material is not a limitation anymore, resulting in high power density. Similarly, since their no real bulk phase transition, apart from charge separation at the surface, lifecycle of supercapacitors is also considerably higher compared to batteries. However, their energy density is typically lower than that of batteries, making material innovations crucial for improvement. 

Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) is a promising material for supercapacitors, with high theoretical capacitance ( upto 1370 F/g), abundance, low cost, non-toxicity, possibility of fast surface faradaic reactions, synthetic avenues for nano structuring and compatibility with wide range of electrolytes. However, MnO2 is intrinsically a poor e- conductor (~10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ S/cm) and undergoes lattice distortion and dissolution in aqueous electrolytes during repeated redox reactions resulting in lower rate capacity and cycling stability respectively. Moreover, their state of art synthesis relies on hydrothermal or template-based synthesis, which is costly and hard to scale. 

The internship will thus focus on addressing these challenges, by developing electrochemically induced deposition of MnO2 films on 3D current collector scaffolds, which would not only mitigate low e- conductivity but also improve stability of the electrode. The final electrodes will be paired up with both liquid and solid electrolytes to assess their electrochemical performance. Our group has long standing expertise in both 3D current collectors, electrolytes for batteries, as well as on electrochemically induced depositions, which can be easily transferred to the current project.
 

Type of Internship: Internship

Master's degree: Master of Science; Master of Engineering Science

Master's program: Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Engineering

Duration:  6 months

University Promotor: Philippe Vereecken (Bioscience, Nano)

For more information or application, please contact the supervising scientists Sai Gourang Patnaik (sai.gourang.patnaik@imec.be) and Louis De Taeye (louis.detaeye@imec.be).

Only for self-supporting students.