Developing sustainable fibre supercapacitors using 2D materials and natural biopolymers
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering
Abstract
Flexible supercapacitor are promising devices to power flexible and wearable electronics (flexible displays, foldable touch screens, smart gadgets, implantable medical devices, and flexible sensors) because of their lightweight, robust mechanical flexibility, small volume, fast charge/discharge rate, high specific capacitance, and power density. However, improving volumetric capacitance, energy density, output voltage, electrode performance under mechanical deformations while reducing the production cost and using eco-friendly materials remain challenging. The conventional sandwiched design of supercapacitor devices is also outdated and needs to be replaced by more effective designs such as interdigitated electrodes using flexible fibre electrodes. Additionally, flexible and wearable electronics are destined to be worn onto the skin, emphasising safety as a critical factor for such devices. This project aims to develop an innovative fabrication strategy for the production of sustainable fibre supercapacitors by introducing bio-derived material fibre electrodes, electrolytes, and separators. Emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as MXenes, siloxene, 2D metal boride, borophene, and 2D ammonium metal phosphates, and their hybrids, will be integrated into biopolymers to induce electrical conductivity, mechanical toughness, charge storage sites, and electrochemical properties. The proposal will help to bridge the gap between conceptual and mechanistic approaches to sustainable fibre supercapacitors by establishing links between structures, compositions, fibre processing, and properties of 2D materials-based biopolymer fibre electrodes. This project will produce novel sustainable fibre supercapacitors with high performance and output voltage, while maintaining mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, it will contribute to the competitiveness of the EU/UK towards the net zero and energy sustainability target by developing sustainable and green fibre supercapacitors.
Publications
Gusain R
(2024)
Composites of 2D Materials and Bacterial Cellulose for Sustainable Energy Storage and Environmental Remediation
in Advanced Sustainable Systems
| Description | Significant progress has been made towards the objectives of the project by developing novel hybrid electrode compositions using a range of nanoscale sheet-like materials (2D materials) for sustainable yarn-shaped energy storing devices. Notably, we developed an innovative fabrication strategy for the fabrication of energy storing yarns by integrating everyday cotton yarns with a variety of 2D materials and hybrids. The fabrication relies on a simple coating approach to develop positive and negative yarn electrode taking the advantage of diverse operating potentials and energy storage mechanisms of various 2D materials. We demonstrated that the conventional length matching approach was ineffective for energy storing devices where the electrodes were made of different active materials. We established that it was critical to match the capacitance of the positive and negative yarn electrodes to achieve maximised performance such as operating voltage, specific capacitance, energy density, and power density. We further developed an innovative strategy for integrating the energy storing yarns into textiles using readily-available conductive snap rivets (already used in denim jeans and jackets). This is a significant step towards practical application of energy storing yarns for electronic textiles and other flexible, portable, and wearable electronic technologies. We developed a proof-of-concept energy fabric that demonstrated advanced features, including the ability to interconnect multiple energy yarns in series or parallel to increase voltage or capacitance, easy connection and disconnection for washing, integrated charging tabs, and a textile cover layer for protection and aesthetics. With a voltage output of 3.9 V, the energy fabric successfully powered a red light emitting diode and a digital clock, demonstrating its practicality and potential for powering a wide range of wearable and portable devices such as digital watches, health trackers, and sensors. |
| Exploitation Route | The integration strategy developed in this work could be adopted for a wide range of other yarn-based devices such as sensors and energy harvesters. Successful interconnection with the energy storing yarn developed in this work is expected to lead to a multifunctional textile system that is free from rigid electronics. We are currently fine-tuning our proof-of-concept prototype. Further research is necessary to understand the reliability of the energy fabric in practical applications. This is currently being investigated through a funded Ideas to Innovation project. We are also actively investigating industry partnerships to evaluate the potential implementation of our technology. This could be pursued through Innovate UK or KTP routes. |
| Sectors | Chemicals Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics Energy Healthcare Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology |
| Description | This work is laying the groundwork for a new generation of soft energy textile with enormous health, societal, commercial, and academic impacts. The main advantages of the textile integration strategy developed in this project include cost-effectiveness and compatibility with existing textile manufacturing technologies, allowing for the seamless integration of energy storing yarns into everyday textiles with minimal infrastructure adjustments. Our proposed approach has the potential to address the main challenges in the widespread adoption of electronic textiles such as washability, device integration, and device interconnection, opening new avenues for the widespread use of flexible energy yarns as the next-generation wearable energy storage solutions for health and activity tracking, sports coaching, entertainment, and virtual reality to name a few. Broad impact is in healthcare by powering health monitoring devices and in consumer electronics by enabling soft textile-based wearables, while promoting sustainability through access to green energy storage solutions. This work has the potential to shape the new field of energy textiles, driving further research on soft, flexible, and textile-integrable energy yarns. Societal impact is achieved by training the future researchers (PhD and master's students) and by raising the awareness about the benefits of the emerging wearable technology using various dissemination activities such as public presentations, conferences, industry engagements, and social media posts. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2025 |
| Sector | Chemicals,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics,Energy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | EPSRC IAA Scalable, Continuous Production of Large MXene Fibers at Meter Scale |
| Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NU-019378 |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 05/2025 |
| Title | A simple and innovative method for seamlessly integrating flexible supercapacitors into textiles. |
| Description | A simple and innovative method for integrating flexible supercapacitors into textiles was developed using common snap rivets such as those found in denim jeans or jackets. These rivets enabled toggled charge/discharge of stored power, facilitating seamless energy management. The proof-of-concept integration of energy storing yarns via snap rivets allowed rapid power delivery and modular connection of multiple devices in series or parallel to enhance voltage and capacitance as needed. The integrated energy fabric demonstrated real-world applicability by powering a digital clock and a light emitting diode. Additionally, the design ensured safe handling during washing and featured a fabric cover layer for aesthetic and protection purposes. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The seamless integration of flexible energy storing yarns into everyday textiles is expected to enable the powering of various medical and consumer electronic devices on-the-go, including wearable health-monitoring systems, displays, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. |
| Description | Colloboration with Northumbria University |
| Organisation | Northumbria University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We established a collaboration to explore the utilisation of composites of 2D materials and biopolymers (e.g., bacterial cellulose) for sustainable energy storage applications. As part of this collaboration, we have written a review article, which is now published in the top journal of Advanced Sustainable Systems. Our contributions included writing sections on the strategies for integrating bacterial cellulose with 2D materials and their energy storage applications. We also contributed to the review article by writing the introduction, conclusion, and perspectives sections. This review article is intended to serve as a valuable resource for researchers currently engaged in the study of 2D materials and/or bacterial cellulose for different applications and is expected to shape the upcoming research and industrial applications of emerging 2D materials/BC composites. We are continuing our collaboration with them to access bacterial cellulose for developing flexible electrodes and electrolytes for supercapacitors. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners at Northumbria University have expertise in bacterial cellulose for the development of insulating materials and water-related applications. They contributed to the review article by writing the sections on the synthesis and properties of bacterial cellulose. They also provided a detailed overview of recent advancements in the application of advanced 2D materials/bacterial cellulose composites for environmental remediation, including water treatment, antimicrobial activity, and environmental gas sensing. Additionally, our collaborators at Northumbria contributed to the introduction, future outlooks, and key challenges in the field. |
| Impact | R. Gusain, N. Kumar, S. Seyedin, Y. Jiang, Composites of 2D Materials and Bacterial Cellulose for Sustainable Energy Storage and Environmental Remediation. Advanced Sustainable Systems. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202400341 (R. Gusain and N. Kumar contributed equally) |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Colloboration with Rutgers University |
| Organisation | Rutgers University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration involves the development of a roadmap article on a novel class of 2D material known as MXene. Our contribution to this roadmap article is on the applications of the material, where we are co-authoring a chapter focusing on flexible and wearable systems. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners, including international teams from Rutgers University and Tulane University, will contribute to the roadmap article by covering the synthesis, properties, processing techniques, computational studies, and various applications such as electrochemistry, electronics, and biochemistry. |
| Impact | There will be a forthcoming Roadmap on MXenes 2025: A Roadmap on Synthesis, Processing, and Applications, which will be published in the top journal of 2D Materials (IOP Publishing). |
| Start Year | 2025 |
| Description | Ideas summit pitch for Leading Researchers Programme - 64 Million Artists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | PI participated in the Leading Researchers Programme run by 64 Million Artists and pitched this research to the general public at Newcastle University through a public engagement event, i.e., Ideas Summit. The audience provided overwhelmingly positive feedback in written format. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://64millionartists.com/what-we-do/leadership/ |
| Description | Innovations in Large-Area Electronics - Networking Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Large-Area Electronics - Networking conference took place in February 2025 at Magdalene College, Cambridge, UK and involved more than 100 participants from academia, industry and the public. The main purpose of the event was to disseminate research and general concepts of on-the-go powering fabric for wearable electronics such as wearable health systems, displays, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This project was featured as a poster which was very well received by the audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://innolae.org/ |
| Description | Invited panel presentation at the 3rd International MXene Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A panel presentation was delivered at MXenes: Changing the World, the 3rd International MXene Conference, in Philadelphia, USA. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with leading experts in the field and direction was provided to the audience to shape the future of the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://mxeneconference.coe.drexel.edu/ |
| Description | Oral presentation at the Graphene 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An oral presentation was delivered in Graphene 2024, the largest European Event in Graphene and 2D Materials, in Madrid, Spain. The conference had over 500 participants from acamdeic, industry, and public sectors. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.grapheneconf.com/2024/ |
| Description | Poster presenation at the Graphene 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A poster on sustainable flexible supercapacitors was presented at Graphene 2024, the largest European event on Graphene and 2D Materials, held in Madrid, Spain. The conference had over 500 participants from academia, industry, and the public sector. The poster garnered significant attention and received highly positive feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.grapheneconf.com/2024/ |
| Description | Social media posts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The project team actively used social media (e.g., X, LinkedIn) to communicate the outcome of this project to the general public. Posts included research achievements, publications, and presentations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| URL | https://x.com/Shayan_Seyedin |