Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2022.06.011

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (10): 423-434.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2022.06.011

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Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model

Haotian Lu^1,2, Jinghong Zhou¹, Yueqiang Cao¹, Tongxin Shang³, Guanghua Ye¹, Quan-Hong Yang^2,3, Xinggui Zhou¹

1 State-Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science of Technology, Shanghai 200237, China;
2 Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, China;
3 Nanoyang Group, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China

Received:2022-03-09 Revised:2022-06-09 Online:2023-01-04 Published:2022-10-28
Contact: Jinghong Zhou,E-mail:jhzhou@ecust.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB239702), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21676082and 22008067), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M681202 and 2021T140204).

Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model

Haotian Lu^1,2, Jinghong Zhou¹, Yueqiang Cao¹, Tongxin Shang³, Guanghua Ye¹, Quan-Hong Yang^2,3, Xinggui Zhou¹

1 State-Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science of Technology, Shanghai 200237, China;
2 Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, China;
3 Nanoyang Group, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China

通讯作者: Jinghong Zhou,E-mail:jhzhou@ecust.edu.cn
基金资助:
This work was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB239702), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21676082and 22008067), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M681202 and 2021T140204).

Abstract

Abstract: The structures of electrode meso-macropore and the solvent polarity are the crucial factors dominating the performance of the electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs), but their impacts are usually tangled and difficult to decouple and quantitate. Here the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on the specific capacitance of an EDLC are quantitatively investigated using a steady-state continuum model. The simulation results indicate the specific capacitances are significantly affected by the meso-macropore surface structure. The specific capacitances significantly decrease for both convex surface structures but obviously increase for both concave surface structures, with the increase of curvature radius from 1 to 20 nm. As for solvents, the polar solvent with high saturated dielectric permittivity improves the capacitance performance. Moreover, the electrode meso-macropore structure is of more concern compared with solvent polarity when aiming at enhancing the specific capacitance. These results provide fundamentals for the rational design of porous electrodes and polar electrolytes for EDLCs.

Key words: Electric double layer capacitors, Numerical simulation, Meso-macropore, Electrolytes, Saturated dielectric permittivity

摘要： The structures of electrode meso-macropore and the solvent polarity are the crucial factors dominating the performance of the electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs), but their impacts are usually tangled and difficult to decouple and quantitate. Here the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on the specific capacitance of an EDLC are quantitatively investigated using a steady-state continuum model. The simulation results indicate the specific capacitances are significantly affected by the meso-macropore surface structure. The specific capacitances significantly decrease for both convex surface structures but obviously increase for both concave surface structures, with the increase of curvature radius from 1 to 20 nm. As for solvents, the polar solvent with high saturated dielectric permittivity improves the capacitance performance. Moreover, the electrode meso-macropore structure is of more concern compared with solvent polarity when aiming at enhancing the specific capacitance. These results provide fundamentals for the rational design of porous electrodes and polar electrolytes for EDLCs.

关键词: Electric double layer capacitors, Numerical simulation, Meso-macropore, Electrolytes, Saturated dielectric permittivity

Haotian Lu, Jinghong Zhou, Yueqiang Cao, Tongxin Shang, Guanghua Ye, Quan-Hong Yang, Xinggui Zhou. Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2022, 50(10): 423-434.

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Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model

Understanding the effects of electrode meso-macropore structure and solvent polarity on electric double layer capacitors based on a continuum model

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