In this study, a flexible asymmetrical all-solid-state supercapacitor with high electrochemical performance was fabricated with Ni/MnO2-filter paper (FP) as the positive electrode and Ni/active carbon (AC)-filter paper as negative electrode, separated with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-Na2SO4 electrolyte. A simple procedure, such as electroless plating, was introduced to prepare the Ni/MnO2-FP electrode on the conventional laboratory FP, combined with the subsequent step of electrodeposition. Electrochemical results show that the as-prepared electrodes display outstanding areal specific capacitance (1900 mF/cm(2) at 5 mV/s) and excellent cycling performance (85.1% retention after 1000 cycles at 20 mA/cm(2)). Such a flexible supercapacitor assembled asymmetrically in the solid state exhibits a large volume energy density (0.78 mWh/cm(3)) and superior flexibility under different bending conditions. It has been demonstrated that the supercapacitors could be used as a power source to drive a 3 V light-emitting diode indicator. This study may provide an available method for designing and fabricating flexible supercapacitors with high performance in the application of wearable and portable electronics based on easily available materials.
Keywords: MnO2; electroless plating; filter paper; flexible supercapacitor; polymer electrolyte.