Multifunctional enhancement of woven carbon fiber/ZnO nanotube-based structural supercapacitor and polyester resin-domain solid-polymer electrolytes

- We fabricated WCF/ZnO nanotube electrodes based structural supercapacitor.
- We developed a solid polymer electrolyte of EMIMBF4, LiTf and polyaniline nanofiber.
- The specific capacitance (up to 18.8 F g−1) was substantially improved.
- Energy and power densities (up to 19.87 W kg−1) were significantly improved.

Structural supercapacitors can be considered as next-generation energy storage devices that have significant simultaneous performance characteristics in both structural applications and battery-like functions. In this study, we report the development of novel structural supercapacitors for the first time based on ZnO nanotubes, grown on woven carbon fiber electrodes, with a glass fiber separator. A solid polymer electrolyte is developed by mixing an ionic liquid (EMIMBF4), a lithium salt (LiTf), and polyaniline nanofiber with a polyester resin matrix. The supercapacitor is fabricated by a vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process that is both effective and eco-friendly. The specific capacitance of the supercapacitor enhances to 18.8 F g−1, versus 0.2 F g−1 for a bare carbon-fiber supercapacitor. Large increases in energy (156.2 mW h kg−1) and power density (19.87 W kg−1) are also achieved, with exceptional tensile strength (325 MPa) and modulus (21 GPa) values. The device demonstrates strong multifunctional performance so that it can be used confidently for energy storage in electric vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, and in the aerospace industry generally.

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