Three-dimensional nanoporous gold for electrochemical supercapacitors

We report the capacitive performances of an electrochemical supercapacitor with three-dimensional nanoporous gold (NPG) as both current collectors and electrodes. The bicontinuous NPG with a large internal surface and high conductivity shows promising capacitive properties in both a conventional aqueous electrolyte and a green ionic liquid electrolyte. In comparison with the performance in the aqueous electrolyte, the NPG-based supercapacitor in the ionic liquid electrolyte shows higher energy density because of the high operation voltage arising from the low ionic mobility of the room-temperature ionic liquid.

► NPG shows promising capacitive properties in both aqueous and ionic liquid electrolyte.
► NPG based SC in ionic liquid shows higher energy density because of the high operation voltage.
► This high operating voltage compensates the low specific capacitance in ionic liquid.