High-Power and Ultralong-Life Aqueous Zinc-Ion Hybrid Capacitors Based on Pseudocapacitive Charge Storage

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion hybrid capacitors and zinc-ion batteries are promising safe energy storage systems. In this study, amorphous RuO2 center dot H2O for the first time was employed to achieve fast and ultralong-life Zn2+ storage based on a pseudocapacitive storage mechanism. In the RuO2 center dot H2O||Zn zinc-ion hybrid capacitors with Zn(CF3SO3)(2) aqueous electrolyte, the RuO2 center dot H2O cathode can reversibly store Zn2+ in a voltage window of 0.4-1.6 V (vs. Zn/Zn2+), delivering a high discharge capacity of 122 mAh g(-1). In particular, the zinc-ion hybrid capacitors can be rapidly charged/discharged within 36 s with a very high power density of 16.74 kW kg(-1) and a high energy density of 82 Wh kg(-1). Besides, the zinc-ion hybrid capacitors demonstrate an ultralong cycle life (over 10,000 charge/discharge cycles). The kinetic analysis elucidates that the ultrafast Zn2+ storage in the RuO2 center dot H2O cathode originates from redox pseudocapacitive reactions. This work could greatly facilitate the development of high-power and safe electrochemical energy storage.