On the use of polyurethane graphene nanoplatelets conductive textiles coated with activated carbon and manganese dioxide as electrodes for supercapacitors

This study investigates two textile structures (woven and knitted fabric) functionalised with a polyurethane (PU)/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) conductive paste via screen-printing technology for their use as current collectors in solid-state supercapacitors (SCs). Briefly, activated carbon (AC) and Manganese dioxide (MnO2) were deposited onto these current collectors to serve as the negative and positive electrodes, respectively. The asymmetric SCs were then assembled in a two-electrode cell configuration using a solid polymer electrolyte namely Aquivion membrane. While cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves revealed an absence of distinct redox peaks, the galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) profiles exhibited highly symmetric, triangular shapes within a wide voltage window of 0 to 1.6 V. Regarding the textile architectures, and due to the lower resistance of electrolyte, current collectors, and electrical contacts, SCs made with woven fabric achieve higher specific capacitance (Csp) of 72 F·g−1, which corresponds to an energy of 74 mWh·cm–2 at a power density of 2.2 mW·cm–2. This work focuses on the potential use of conductive woven fabric as a highly versatile and flexible substrate for next-generation smart textiles. By leveraging its excellent material characteristics, this substrate provides promising platform for accelerating the development of advanced wearable electronic devices.