Cellulose Nanocrystal-Reinforced Nanocomposite Hydrogel Electrolyte for Supercapacitor

Chen, Ningxin

Cellulose Nanocrystal-Reinforced Nanocomposite Hydrogel Electrolyte for Supercapacitor

dc.contributor.advisor	Lu, Qingye
dc.contributor.author	Chen, Ningxin
dc.contributor.committeemember	Sundararaj, Uttandaraman
dc.contributor.committeemember	Park, Simon
dc.date	2023-11
dc.date.accessioned	2023-07-06T17:08:00Z
dc.date.available	2023-07-06T17:08:00Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06
dc.description.abstract	The development of hydrogel electrolytes for electronic devices has garnered significant attention due to their remarkable flexibility, operation safety, and electrochemical stability, making them a highly competitive material for wearable and flexible electronic devices, such as flexible supercapacitors. However, hydrogel electrolytes also have certain drawbacks that limit their utility in flexible supercapacitors. Specifically, hydrogel electrolytes face two primary challenges: 1) insufficient cross-linking leading to unfavourable mechanical properties, and 2) delamination between electrode and electrolyte under deformation due to weak adhesion at the interface. Consequently, it is crucial to develop mechanically robust hydrogel electrolytes with promising adhesion to the electrodes for their widespread application in future flexible electronic devices. This thesis provides a design and synthesis of a self-repairable, adhesive, strong, and stretchable hydrogel electrolyte for supercapacitors. A highly stretchable and tough hydrogel was firstly synthesized by incorporating green nanomaterial, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as nano-reinforcement, and physical (hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen bonding) interactions to reinforce the hydrogel matrix. The synthesized hydrogel demonstrated outstanding mechanical performance with the best tensile stress of 1085 ± 14 kPa and elongation of 4106 ± 311%. Then the prepared hydrogels were loaded with 1 M KOH by soaking to make hydrogel electrolytes. The results of this work demonstrate that CNC-incorporated hydrogel electrolytes are promising and competitive materials for flexible supercapacitors. The best capacitance was obtained as 67.31 F/g at 0.05 A/g by using the hydrophobized CNC hydrogel with 6-hr soak-loading of KOH. And almost 100% capacitance retention was obtained at 0.1A/g after 2200 cycles. This thesis also provides a fundamental understanding of how the CNC and different interactions will affect the mechanical and electrochemical performances of the hydrogel as a supercapacitor with thoughtful evaluations in various aspects.
dc.identifier.citation	Chen, N. (2023). Cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced nanocomposite hydrogel electrolyte for supercapacitor (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/116700
dc.identifier.uri	https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41542
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Schulich School of Engineering
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Hydrogel Electrolytes
dc.subject	Nanocomposites
dc.subject	Cellulose Nanocrystal
dc.subject	Hydrophobic Interaction
dc.subject	Repairability
dc.subject.classification	Engineering
dc.subject.classification	Engineering--Chemical
dc.title	Cellulose Nanocrystal-Reinforced Nanocomposite Hydrogel Electrolyte for Supercapacitor
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I require a thesis withhold – I need to delay the release of my thesis due to a patent application, and other reasons outlined in the link above. I have/will need to submit a thesis withhold application.