Viscous lignin gel matrix successfully used in flexible supercapacitors

Led by Prof. Chu Fuxiang, the research team from the Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, used a one-step method to prepare silver-lignin nanoparticles with good dispersion stability, and introduced them into the polyacrylamide network to obtain a lignin-based hydrogel with excellent self-adhesion and mechanical strength. The mechanical strength of lignin-based hydrogel is better than that of existing polyacrylamide hydrogel, with a tear energy of 902J/m2; at the same time, lignin-based hydrogel has strong self-adhesive properties and can adhere various materials. Based on the lignin gel matrix, a gel electrode and a gel electrolyte were prepared. The assembled all-gel supercapacitor has excellent electrochemical stability and mechanical stability, and the electrode-electrolyte interface adhesion strength is 827J/m2. The equivalent series resistance is 24.15Ω. After 5000 times of different mechanical deformations, its capacitance retention rate exceeds 90%. This research improves the interface problem of adjacent layers slipping or even falling off during the deformation process of flexible supercapacitors to a certain extent, expands the application scope of flexible supercapacitors, and is of great significance for realizing high-value utilization of lignin. Relevant results were published in Chemical Engineering Journal.


Preparation of lignin gel matrix