All-solid-state supercapacitors are seeing emerging applications in flexible and stretchable electronics. Supercapacitors with high capacitance, high power density, simple form factor, and good mechanical robustness are highly desired, which demands electrode materials with high surface area, high mass loading, good conductivity, larger thickness, low tortuosity, and high toughness. However, it has been challenging to simultaneously realize them in a single material. By compositing a superficial layer of tough hydrogel on conductive and low tortuous foams, a thick capacitor electrode with large capacitance (5.25 F cm-2 ), high power density (41.28 mW cm-2 ), and good mechanical robustness (ε = 140%, Γ = 1000 J m-2 ) is achieved. The tough hydrogel serves as both a load-bearing layer to maintain structural integrity during deformation and a permeable binder to allow interaction between the conductive electrode and electrolyte. It is shown that the tough hydrogel reinforcement is beneficial for both electrical and mechanical stability. With a simple design and facile fabrication, this strategy is generalizable for various conductive materials.
Keywords: Hofmeister effect; low tortuosity; stretchable electronics; supercapacitors; tough hydrogels.
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