Research and development of carbon materials for electrochemical capacitors I. Electrochemical capacitors

Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) store energy in eletric double-layers formed along the interface of electrode material and electrolyte, this produces an extremely large capacitance compared with the traditional capacitors. The fundamental principles of electrochemical capacitors are briefly introduced, and the key materials used like electrode materials, electrolytes, separator and current collector materials are summarized. Electrochemical capacitors with pseudocapacitance, such as metal oxides, polymers and hybrid capacitors, are also discussed. The characteristics, possible application fields, the development state, the future R&D prospects for electrochemical capacitors are highlighted.