A review of the recent advancements and modification techniques for enhancing the supercapacitor applications

Abstract

The economic growth of modern societies heavily depends on the energy production rate. The low-carbon emission-based technology and the research have gained tremendous interest to achieve zero carbon target and energy transition. The electrochemical energy is considered a promising source to meet the modern energy demands. The nickel-based materials offer an exceptionally high energy storage capacity, in addition to their low cost, high abundance, and eco-friendly nature. This review critically discusses the various types of supercapacitors and their respective charge storage mechanism. Despite several advantages offered by nickel-based materials, they possess several disadvantages that restrict their utilization in industrial-scale applications. The present study involves the utilization of various modification techniques, such as surface modification, nanocomposite, multiple alloying, chemical etching, and bilayer formation, to enhance the electrochemical storage properties of nickel-based materials. This comprehensive review also compares several nickel-based materials based on their electrochemical storage capacities. This review concludes with the various future perspectives and challenges that underline the need for necessary improvement to successful transformation from non-renewable energy resources to renewable energy resources and their utilization in large industrial-level applications.