Recyclable electrochemical supercapacitors based on carbon nanotubes and organic nanocrystals

Sustainable energy storage devices are required in view of the current demand for environmentally friendly technology. We fabricated a fully recyclable electrochemical double-layer supercapacitor (EDLC), based on multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrodes, an organic nanocrystalline (ONC) dielectric membrane, and an aqueous electrolyte. The entire EDLC device was fabricated and recycled using simple solution processing. The pristine and recycled EDLC devices maintained high stability after 18 000 cycles in cyclic voltammetry testing. Our results advance a concept of sustainable energy storage devices that are easy to fabricate and recycle.