Three-Dimensional Microcavity Array Electrodes for High-Capacitance All-Solid-State Flexible Microsupercapacitors

We report novel three-dimensional (3D) microcavity array electrodes for high-capacitance all-solid-state microsupercapactiors. The microcavity arrays are formed in a polymer substrate via a plasma-assisted reactive ion etching (RIE) process and provide extra sidewall surface areas on which the active materials are grown in the form of nanofibers. This 3D structure leads to an increase in the areal capacitance by a factor of 2.56 for a 15-μm-deep cavity etching, agreeing well with the prediction. The fabricated microsupercapactiors exhibit a maximum areal capacitance of 65.1 mF cm^-2 (a volumetric capacitance of 93.0 F cm^-3) and an energy density of 0.011 mWh cm^-2 (a volumetric energy density of 16.4 mWh cm^-3) which substantially surpass previously reported values for all-solid-state flexible microsupercapacitors. The devices show good electrochemical stability under extended voltammetry cycles and bending cycles. It is demonstrated that they can sustain a radio frequency (rf) microsystem in a temporary absence of a power supply. These results suggest the potential utility of our 3D microsupercapactiors as miniaturized power sources in wearable and implantable medical devices.