title: Dielectric capacitors with three-dimensional nanoscale interdigital electrodes for energy storage.
abstract: Dielectric capacitors are promising candidates for high-performance energy storage systems due to their high power density and increasing energy density. However, the traditional approach strategies to enhance the performance of dielectric capacitors cannot simultaneously achieve large capacitance and high breakdown voltage. We demonstrate that such limitations can be overcome by using a completely new three-dimensional (3D) nanoarchitectural electrode design. First, we fabricate a unique nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane with two sets of interdigitated and isolated straight nanopores opening toward opposite planar surfaces. By depositing carbon nanotubes in both sets of pores inside the AAO membrane, the new dielectric capacitor with 3D nanoscale interdigital electrodes is simply realized. In our new capacitors, the large specific surface area of AAO can provide large capacitance, whereas uniform pore walls and hemispheric barrier layers can enhance breakdown voltage. As a result, a high energy density of 2 Wh/kg, which is close to the value of a supercapacitor, can be achieved, showing promising potential in high-density electrical energy storage for various applications.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fangming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China. ; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Guowen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230029, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoye
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. ; State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center for Nano Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bingqing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
keywords: Energy density; anodic aluminum oxide (AAO); dielectric capacitor; energy storage