Supercapacitor with AC/MnO2 electrodes supported on cotton fabric and polymer electrolyte membrane

The work reports the results attained by an all-solid asymmetric supercapacitor formed by a capacitive electrode based on activated carbon (AC), a pseudocapacitive electrode based on manganese oxide (MnO2) and a polymer electrolyte membrane (Nafion 115). The active materials are in powder form and to be usable as electrodes have been supported on a cotton fabric. Cotton is a cheap material easy to manage that unfortunately is an insulator. Carbon nanofibers (CNF) were added during the preparation of electrodes to make them conductive. The electrodes have been assembled together with a polymer electrolyte membrane and the obtained supercapacitor was tested to determine its electrochemical characteristics, such as specific capacitance, voltage range of stability, durability in charge/discharge cycling and maximum voltage floating test.