Title:Recent Advancements in Light-responsive Supercapacitors
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Author(s): Syed Shaheen Shah and Md. Abdul Aziz*
Affiliation:
- Interdisciplinary Research Center for Hydrogen and Energy Storage (IRC-HES), King Fahd University of Petroleum
& Minerals, KFUPM Box 5040, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
- K.A.CARE Energy Research and Innovation
Center, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Keywords:
Supercapacitor, light responsive materials, solar light, photo-supercapacitor, photo-charging, renewable energy, energy conversion, storage efficiency.
Abstract: With so many of our daily activities related to electricity, from telecommunication to
laptops and computers, the use of electric energy has skyrocketed in today's technology-based
world. Energy output must rise to meet rising energy demand. Still, as fossil fuels are running
out, we must turn to more renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, which can be
harnessed and converted to electricity by solar-powered cells. The issues, however, are brought
about by the sunlight's unpredictable energy output. The energy produced by solar cells should
therefore be stored using energy storage technologies. This notion led to the development of the
photo-supercapacitor, a device that combines a solar cell with a supercapacitor to store the energy
generated by the solar cells. However, recently researchers developed light-responsive materials
for supercapacitors that could be used directly as electrode materials and deposited on various
transparent and conductive substrates. Such light-responsive supercapacitors could be operated
directly by shining solar light without using any solar cell. A light-responsive supercapacitor's
efficiency is primarily influenced by the active materials used in its electrode fabrication.
The main components of high-energy conversion, which improves a light-responsive supercapacitor's
performance and shelf life, are photoactive materials, counter electrodes, compatible
electrolytes, and transparent substrate performances. Furthermore, light-responsive supercapacitors
are cutting-edge and promising energy storage devices that can self-charge under light illumination
by converting light to electrical energy and storing it for later use. They are considered
a novel approach to energy issues in electrical transportation, electronic equipment, and on-chip
energy storage devices. Thus, this review paper opens up an avenue for the direct utilization of
photoactive nanomaterials for electrochemical energy storage and demonstrates the substantial
potential for the fabrication of advanced light-responsive supercapacitors. This study also covers
the fundamentals of how this exciting field works, the historical trajectory of how far it has
come, and the promising prospects for its future.