Next Generation Screen-Printed Energy-Storage Devices Based on Carbon Nanomaterials

Hallam, Philip (2013) Next Generation Screen-Printed Energy-Storage Devices Based on Carbon Nanomaterials. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This thesis reports on the development of novel screen-printed electrodes for use as energy-storage (supercapacitor) devices. The thesis covers four primary topics; the first considers the basic fundamentals of electrochemistry, which are essential for understanding and furthering the development of energy-storage devices. Section two reports on the electrode materials, highlighting the important contribution of each material towards the electrochemical mechanisms involved at their surfaces. Furthermore, a novel, yet simplistic methodology for characterising various carbon nanomaterials (in terms of their edge and basal content) without recourse to expensive laboratory equipment is presented. Section three describes the processes involved in screen printing but moreover, illustrates how the modification of the electrode with nanomaterials can transform a seemingly redundant electrode into a highly desirable and sometimes ideal option targeted towards the application of energy-storage. The development of true screenprinted supercapacitors utilising transition metal nanomaterials, shows proof of concept for the future advancement of screen-printed electrodes as thin, highly flexible energy-storage devices. The final section highlights some of the limitations found in electrical impedance spectroscopy that are often overlooked. Lastly, a simple methodology is described that has been found to offer improved accuracy in the galvanostatic (charge/discharge) measurement of capacitance.