Bottom-Up, On-Surface-Synthesized Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons for Ultra-High-Power Micro-Supercapacitors
Bottom-up-synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with excellent electronic properties are promising materials for energy storage systems. Herein, we report bottom-up-synthesized GNR films employed as electrode materials for micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). The micro-device delivers an excellent volumetric capacitance and an ultra-high power density. The electrochemical performance of MSCs could be correlated with the charge carrier mobility within the differently employed GNRs, as determined by pump–probe terahertz spectroscopy studies.
Surface-Specific Spectroscopy of Water at a Potentiostatically Controlled Supported Graphene Monolayer
Knowledge of the structure of interfacial water molecules at electrified solid materials is the first step toward a better understanding of important processes at such surfaces, in, e.g., electrochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, and membrane biophysics. As graphene is an interesting material with multiple potential applications such as in transistors or sensors, we specifically investigate the graphene–water interface. We use sum-frequency generation spectroscopy to investigate the pH- and potential-dependence of the interfacial water structure in contact with a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) grown graphene surface. Our results show that the SFG signal from the interfacial water molecules a…
Photoswitchable Micro-Supercapacitor Based on a Diarylethene-Graphene Composite Film
Stimuli-responsive micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) controlled by external stimuli can enable a wide range of applications for future on-chip energy storage. Here, we report on a photoswitchable MSC based on a diarylethene-graphene composite film. The microdevice delivers an outstanding and reversible capacitance modulation of up to 20%, demonstrating a prototype photoswitchable MSC. Terahertz spectroscopy indicates that the photoswitching of the capacitance is enabled by the reversible tuning of interfacial charge injection into diarylethene molecular orbitals, as a consequence of charge transfer at the diarylethene-graphene interface upon light modulation.
Direct Metal‐Free Chemical Vapor Deposition of Graphene Films on Insulating Substrates for Micro‐Supercapacitors with High Volumetric Capacitance
Direct, metal‐free synthesis of graphene films on insulating substrates in a controlled manner is of great importance for applications in (opto)electronic and energy storage devices. Graphene films are fabricated on fused silica substrates without metal catalyst via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using propionic acid as a carbon source. Film‐thickness is readily adjustable between 5 and 45 nm by changing the deposition time and flow rate of the precursor, displaying sheet resistance in the range of 0.27–1.86 kΩ□−1. The resulting graphene films are directly integrated into micro‐supercapacitors without film transfer or liquid‐phase processing, and demonstrate ultrahigh operation rates up t…
Kinetic Ionic Permeation and Interfacial Doping of Supported Graphene
Due to its outstanding electrical properties and chemical stability, graphene finds widespread use in various electrochemical applications. Although the presence of electrolytes strongly affects its electrical conductivity, the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. Here, we employ terahertz spectroscopy as a contact-free means to investigate the impact of ubiquitous cations (Li+, Na+, K+, and Ca2+) in aqueous solution on the electronic properties of SiO2-supported graphene. We find that, without applying any external potential, cations can shift the Fermi energy of initially hole-doped graphene by ∼200 meV up to the Dirac point, thus counteracting the initial substrate-induced hole dop…