Self-charging supercapacitors for smart electronic devices: a concise review on the recent trends and future sustainability

Abstract

Self-powered systems or self-powered devices belong to one of the most pivotal research topics that specifically aim toward the growth of portable and wearable electronic industries over the last few years. A sizeable number of self-powered systems have been established, utilizing the various modes of energy conversion (solar cells, mechanical energy harvester and thermal energy harvester) and storage technologies (batteries and supercapacitors). This review provides a summarized content regarding the research and development on the various types of self-charging supercapacitor power cells (SCSPCs) that have been developed since the past few decades. The selection of novel materials, device architecture and performance metrics are influential/critical for the evolution of SCSPCs for next-generation electronics applications. Integrating both the energy conversion and storage devices into a single system brings substantial challenges regarding the understanding of the underlying working mechanisms and its subsequent application for powering portable and wearable electronics. Up to date, state-of-the-art instances of SCSPCs fabrication technologies and performance matrices have been emphasized in this review. Furthermore, the key challenges encountered during SCSPCs fabrication, their useful applications in various fields and their possible solutions are discussed for future developments on SCSPCs. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. � 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.