journal article·2026-06-17

Piezoionic Interface Engineering Enabled High Energy Density and Suppressed Self‐Discharge in Flexible Supercapacitors

Xin Guo, Xidi Sun, Lulu Li, Yuqiong Sun, Jing Wu, Yukai Zhou, Yongchang Jiang, Wen Cheng, Yi Shi, Lijia Pan

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Self‐discharge remains a persistent challenge in electrochemical energy storage, especially in interface‐dominated flexible supercapacitors, where suppressing charge loss often compromises ion transport and energy density. Here, we report a piezoionic interface engineering strategy that uses mechanical pressure as an active variable to regulate interfacial ion transport and charge relaxation. Guided by the Hofmeister effect, a PVA‐based hydrogel electrolyte with tunable piezoionic behavior is developed to generate pressure‐induced ionic polarization. Upon compression, improved interfacial conformality drives ions into deeper micropores and promotes the formation of a more compact electric double layer, thereby enhancing capacitance. Meanwhile, the induced polarization field stabilizes interfacial charge distribution and suppresses ion desorption, leading to slower self‐discharge. As a result, the flexible supercapacitor achieves an energy density of 112.4 µWh cm −2 at 100 µW cm −2 under 100 kPa and retains 90.1% of its stored energy after 1 h of open‐circuit rest, representing a 3.2‐fold improvement over the unpressurized state. As a proof of concept, the flexible supercapacitor powers a wireless wearable insole system. This work provides a pressure‐regulated interfacial design paradigm for simultaneously enhancing energy density and charge retention in flexible supercapacitors.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Supercapacitor Materials and Fabrication · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Advanced battery technologies research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing China

School of Integrated Circuits Nanjing University Suzhou China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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