Supercapacitor Operating at 200 Degrees Celsius

The operating temperatures of current electrochemical energy storage devices are limited due to electrolyte degradation and separator instability at higher temperatures. Here we demonstrate that a tailored mixture of materials can facilitate operation of supercapacitors at record temperatures, as high as 200 C. Composite electrolyte/separator structures made from naturally occurring clay and room temperature ionic liquids, with graphitic carbon electrodes, show stable supercapacitor performance at 200 C with good cyclic stability. Free standing films of such high temperature composite electrolyte systems can become versatile functional membranes in several high temperature energy conversion and storage applications.