Electrochemical double-layer capacitors with lithium-ion electrolyte and electrode coatings with PEDOT:PSS binder

Abstract Although typical electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) operate with aqueous or lithium-free organic electrolytes optimized for activated carbon electrodes, there is interest in EDLCs with lithium-ion electrolyte for applications of lithium ion capacitors and hybridized battery-supercapacitor devices. We present an experimental study of symmetric EDLCs with electrolyte 1 M LiPF 6 in EC:EMC 50:50 v/v and electrode coatings with 5 wt% SBR or PEDOT:PSS binder at 5 or 10 wt% concentration, where for the PEDOT:PSS containing electrodes pseudocapacitance effects were investigated in the lithium-ion electrolyte. Two different electrode coating fabrication methods were explored, doctor blade coating and spraying. It was found that EDLCs with electrodes with either binder had a stability window of 0–2 V in the lithium-ion electrolyte. EDLCs with electrodes with 10 wt% PEDOT:PSS binder yielded cyclic voltammograms with pseudocapacitance features indicating surface redox pseudocapacitance in the doctor blade coated electrodes, and intercalation and redox phenomena for the sprayed electrodes. The highest energy density in discharge was exhibited by the EDLC with doctor blade-coated electrodes and 10 wt% PEDOT:PSS binder, which combined good capacitive features with surface redox pseudocapacitance. In general, EDLCs with sprayed electrodes reached higher power density than doctor blade coated electrodes. Graphic abstract