Developing sustainable fibre supercapacitors using 2D materials and natural biopolymers

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 The conventional sandwiched design of supercapacitor devices is also outdated and needs to be replaced by more effective designs such as interdigitated electrodes using flexible fibre electrodes.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.