Work

On the use of polyurethane graphene nanoplatelets conductive textiles coated with activated carbon and manganese dioxide as electrodes for supercapacitors

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates two textile structures (woven and knitted fabric) functionalised with a polyurethane (PU)/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) conductive paste via screen-printing technology for their use as current collectors in solid-state supercapacitors (SCs). Briefly, activated carbon (AC) and Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) were deposited onto these current collectors to serve as the negative and positive electrodes, respectively. The asymmetric SCs were then assembled in a two-electrode cell configuration using a solid polymer electrolyte namely Aquivion membrane. While cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves revealed an absence of distinct redox peaks, the galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) profiles exhibited highly symmetric, triangular shapes within a wide voltage window of 0 to 1.6 V. Regarding the textile architectures, and due to the lower resistance of electrolyte, current collectors, and electrical contacts, SCs made with woven fabric achieve higher specific capacitance (C sp ) of 72 F·g −1 , which corresponds to an energy of 74 mWh·cm –2 at a power density of 2.2 mW·cm –2 . This work focuses on the potential use of conductive woven fabric as a highly versatile and flexible substrate for next-generation smart textiles. By leveraging its excellent material characteristics, this substrate provides promising platform for accelerating the development of advanced wearable electronic devices.

Source: Ionics

DOI: 10.1007/s11581-026-07269-6

Authors: Antonio J. Paleo, Giulia Crescente, Antonino Brigandì, Zakia Aribou, Luisa M. Arruda, Francesco Lufrano