Monolithic supercapacitors prepared by roll-to-roll screen printing

Abstract

Roll-to-roll (R2R) screen printing was utilized to fabricate supercapacitors (SC) with monolithic structures. Layer-by-layer printing of SCs simplifies the fabrication process and enables increased production volume by the R2R process. Yield of 85 percent was achieved in R2R process with the thick three times printed separator layer. In addition, the printing process of the separator and electrode layers was improved by introducing an additional solvent. However, the key factor for good yield was the geometrical design of the separator layer. Increasing the thickness of the separator enabled a uniform top current collector for the R2R-printed monolithic SCs. This paper demonstrates and optimizes R2R printing process for the monolithic SC on polymer film, achieving a capacitance of 96.4 mF, an equivalent series resistance of 21.2 ohms, and a leakage current of 3.6 microA.