Need for Revisiting the Use of Magnetic Oxides as Electrode Materials in Supercapacitors: Unequivocal Evidence of Significant Variation in Specific Capacitance under Variable Magnetic Field

A simple question, which remains ignored in the field of supercapacitors is: will the device performance be affected near a magnetic field, if it is fabricated using electrode materials that are also magnetic? It is shown in this paper that the answer is: yes, it will be appreciably affected! The modulation in the specific capacitance is a convoluted picture of variation: diffusion mechanics of solvated cations, Nernst layer at the interface, magnetoresistance, and associated I–V response. The magnetic field also has direct control on the value at which saturation in specific capacitance is observed in such devices. Nearly a 170% increase in energy density at 1 A g−1 is observed by varying the magnetic field from 0 to 5 mT and a ten fold increase in power density is observed at 5 mT when current density is increased from 1 to 5 A g−1. These results clearly show that electronic circuitry designed using supercapacitors needs to be reworked/designed if it is to be used in or around magnetic environment. To prove the concept and have a complete picture in one article, the paper presents results on nanosized magnetic metal oxides based on the four ferromagnetic elements, Fe, Co, Mn, and Ni.