Ether-bond-containing ionic liquids as supercapacitor electrolytes

Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are electrical energy storage devices that have the potential to be very useful in a wide range of applications, especially where there is a large disparity between peak and average power demands. The use of ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes in ECs can increase the energy density of devices; however, the viscosity and conductivity of ILs adversely influence the power density of the device. We present experimental results where several ILs containing different cations have been employed as the electrolyte in cells containing mesoporous carbon electrodes. Specifically, the behavior of ILs containing an ether bond in an alkyl side chain are compared with those of a similar structure and size but containing purely alkyl side chains. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and constant current cycling, we show that the presence of the ether bond can dramatically increase the specific capacitance and reduce device resistance. These results have the important implication that such ILs can be used to tailor the physical properties and electrochemical performance of IL-based electrolytes.