Transforming Supercapacitors by using Metal-Organic Framework Electrodes

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that deliver high power, making them an ideal companion to batteries for a more sustainable future. But their progress has been limited by the irregular structures of the porous carbon materials typically used in their electrodes. A new solution has emerged with the use of conducting metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have more organized, well-defined porous structures. This project, called SUPERMOFS, aims to use these MOFs as a new type of electrode to revolutionize our understanding of how supercapacitors work.

The main goal of SUPERMOFS is to understand how the structure of the electrode affects how the supercapacitor charges and stores energy. To do this, the team will create different MOF-based electrodes, each with unique pore sizes, surface features, and shapes. They will then test how these differences impact the ability of the supercapacitors to store energy and how quickly they can charge. Using advanced techniques like in situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the project will also look at how these structural changes affect the way molecules move and charge within the electrodes. This thorough investigation will help connect the design of these new electrodes to how well they perform, ultimately leading to more efficient supercapacitors.