Development of boron reinforced aerogel based supercapacitors

In order to eliminate the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and the resulting global warming problems, compliance with green transformation agreements and the goal of zero carbon footprint are adopted on many platforms. In this context, orientation towards renewable energy sources, efficient use and continuity of these resources are of great importance. However, the irregular energy production observed in energy sources such as wind energy and solar energy depending on ecosystem and climate conditions is among the most important issues to be overcome. Energy storage systems are systems that enable energy to be stored safely and retrieved when needed, when energy is produced but not used or when energy production is intermittent. Therefore, energy storage systems are of great importance to increase the efficiency of renewable energy resources and ensure stable electricity production. Supercapacitors included in these systems have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their high power densities, long cycle lives and fast charge/discharge capacities. Within the scope of this master's thesis, new electrode materials were developed by coating flexible textile materials with aerogels containing boron-reinforced graphene oxide (GO) for use in energy storage systems. Supercapacitor prototypes were created with these electrodes and their parameters such as electrochemical behavior, charge-discharge profiles, and usage times were evaluated. Additionally, the capacitance values and energy-power densities of the prepared electrode and supercapacitor prototypes were calculated. Within the scope of this thesis, where the effects of different amounts of boron dopant on energy storage performance were investigated, techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis were used to characterize the synthesized airgel structure. According to the electrochemical data obtained, it was observed that the power density and energy density increased systematically in the electrode and supercapacitor prototypes as a function of the boron contribution in the airgel. In the experiments conducted to monitor the lifespan of the electrodes, it was observed that the highest capacitance retention was achieved with the GO:4B@CC electrode after 4500 cycles, and there was a 101.14% increase in capacitance compared to the initial value. In the supercapacitor prototypes, it was observed that the system that provided the best cycling was the GO:3B@CC//G prototype and that the capacitance was preserved at 100.2% compared to the initial value after 4500 cycles.