Novel semiconductor materials for advanced supercapacitors

With the energy crisis and environmental pollution, the development of sustainable new energy has become an urgent priority. These considerations make society aware that green energy technologies are critical to economic development. Electrochemical energy storage technology is a green energy technology based on the ability to exhibit high energy density (battery) or high power density (supercapacitor). There is a growing demand for high-energy and high-power-density electrochemical energy storage devices for current and future applications. However, the performance of electrochemical energy storage devices is limited by the activity of electrode materials. It is difficult to meet the demands of rapid economic development for energy equipment with high energy density, high power density and long life. The energy density of supercapacitors can be significantly improved by preparing novel active electrode materials. Research has found that new semiconductor materials have the potential to improve the cycle life, energy and power density of supercapacitors. To date, a variety of novel semiconductor electrode materials have been fabricated and studied for supercapacitors. This review summarizes the main advantages of several new semiconductor materials as electrode materials. In addition, the latest and representative progress in the development of electrode materials for supercapacitors is presented. Finally, current challenges are discussed and key perspectives for future research in this field are outlined.