An Overview of Self-Grown Nanostructured Electrode Materials in Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Increasing demand for portable and wireless electronic devices with high power and energy densities has inspired global research to investigate, in lieu of scarce rare-earth and expensive ruthenium oxide-like materials, abundant, cheap, easily producible, and chemically stable electrode materials. Several potential electrode materials, including carbon-based materials, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, layered metal double hydroxides, metal nitrides, metal phosphides, and metal chlorides with above requirements, have been effectively and efficiently applied in electrochemical supercapacitor energy storage devices. The synthesis of self-grown, or in-situ, nanostructured electrode materials using chemical processes is well-known, wherein the base material itself produces the required phase of the product with a unique morphology, high surface area, and moderate electrical conductivity. This comprehensive review provides in-depth information on the use of self-grown electrode materials of different morphologies in electrochemical supercapacitor applications. The present limitations and future prospects, from an industrial application perspectives, of self-grown electrode materials in enhancing energy storage capacity are briefly elaborated.