Graphene Supercapacitors: Introduction and News
Graphene supercapacitors
Graphene is a thin layer of pure carbon, tightly packed and bonded together in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is widely regarded as a “wonder material†because it is endowed with an abundance of astonishing traits: it is the thinnest compound known to man at one atom thick, as well as the best known conductor. It also has amazing strength and light absorption traits and is even considered ecologically friendly and sustainable as carbon is widespread in nature and part of the human body.
Graphene is often suggested as a replacement for activated carbon in supercapacitors, in part due to its high relative surface area (which is even more substantial than that of activated carbon). The surface area is one of the limitations of capacitance and a higher surface area means a better electrostatic charge storage. In addition, graphene based supercapacitors will utilize its lightweight nature, elastic properties and mechanical strength.
A Graphene supercapacitor is said to store almost as much energy as alithium-ion battery, charge and discharge in seconds and maintain all this over tens of thousands of charging cycles. One of the ways to achieve this is by using a a highly porous form of graphene with a large internal surface area (made by packing graphene powder into a coin-shaped cell and then dry and press it).
What are supercapacitors?
Supercapacitors, also known as EDLC (electric double-layer capacitor) or Ultracapacitors, differ from regular capacitors in that they can store tremendous amounts of energy.
A basic capacitor usually consists of two metal plates, separated by an insulator (like air or a plastic film). During charging, electrons accumulate on one conductor and depart from the other. One side gains a negative charge while the other side builds a positive one. The insulator disturbs the natural pull of the negative charge towards the positive one, and that tension creates an electric field. Once electrons are given a path to the other side, discharge occurs.
Supercapacitors also contain two metal plates, only coated with a porous material known as activated carbon. They are immersed in an electrolyte made of positive and negative ions dissolved in a solvent. One plate is positive and the other is negative. During charging, ions from the electrolyte accumulate on the surface of each carbon-coated plate. Supercapacitors also store energy in an electric field that is formed between two oppositely charged particles, only they have the electrolyte in which an equal number of positive and negative ions is uniformly dispersed. Thus, during charging, each electrode ends up having two layers of charge coating (electric double-layer).
Batteries and Supercapacitors
Unlike capacitors and supercapacitors, batteries store energy in a chemical reaction. This way, ions are inserted into the atomic structure of an electrode, instead of just clinging to it like in supercapacitors. This makes supercapacitors (and storing energy without chemical reactions in general) able to charge and discharge much faster than batteries. Due to the fact that a supercapacitor does not suffer the same wear and tear as a chemical reaction based battery, it can survive hundreds of thousands more charge and discharge cycles.
Supercapacitors boast a high energy storage capacity compared to regular capacitors, but they still lag behind batteries in that area. Supercapacitors are also usually more expensive per unit than batteries. Technically, it is possible to replace the battery of a cell phone with a supercapacitor, and it will charge much faster. Alas, it will not stay charged for long. Supercapacitors are very effective, however, at accepting or delivering a sudden surge of energy, which makes them a fitting partner for batteries. Primary energy sources such as internal combustion engines, fuel cells and batteries work well as a continuous source of low power, but cannot efficiently handle peak power demands or recapture energy because they discharge and recharge slowly. Supercapacitors deliver quick bursts of energy during peak power demands and then quickly store energy and capture excess power that's otherwise lost. In the example of an electric car, a supercapacitor can provide needed power for acceleration, while a battery provides range and recharges the supercapacitor between surges.
Common supercapacitor applications
Supercapacitors are currently used to harvest power from regenerative braking systems and release power to help hybrid buses accelerate, provide cranking power and voltage stabilization in start/stop systems, backup and peak power for automotive applications, assist in train acceleration, open aircraft doors in the event of power failures, help increase reliability and stability of the energy grid of blade pitch systems, capture energy and provide burst power to assist in lifting operations, provide energy to data centers between power failures and initiation of backup power systems, such as diesel generators or fuel cells and provide energy storage for firming the output of renewable installations and increasing grid stability.
Rivaling materials
Several materials exist that are researched and suggested to augment supercapacitors as much (or even more than) graphene. Among these materials are: hemp, that was used by Canadian researchers to develop hemp fibers that are at least as efficient as graphene ones in supercapacitor electrodes, Cigarette filters, which were used by Korean researchers to prepare a material for supercapacitor electrodes that exhibits a better rate capability and higher specific capacitance than conventional activated carbon and even higher than N-doped graphene or N-doped CNT electrodes.
Graphene supercapacitors commercialization
Graphene supercapacitors are already on the market, and several companies, including Skeleton Technology, the CRRC, ZapGoCharger, and Angstron Materials are developing such solutions. Read our Graphene Supercapacitors market report to learn more about this exciting market and how graphene will effect it.
Further reading
- Graphene-Info's graphene supercapacitors market report
- Graphene batteries
- Introduction to graphene
- How to invest in the graphene revolution
- The Graphene Handbook, our very own guide to the graphene market
Skeleton Technologies announces €33 million first close of pre-IPO round ahead of 2027 U.S IPO
Skeleton Technologies has announced the first close of a larger funding round at €33 million. This brings its total venture capital funding to €392 million in preparation for its planned initial public offering (IPO) in the United States in 2027.
The new round expands Skeleton’s investor base with the addition of Axon Partners Group, SmartCap, and Taiwania Capital. More investors will be announced as part of a larger round ahead of the IPO.
Researchers develop 3D-printed graphene oxide electrodes for high-density energy storage
Researchers from the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently developed a graphene-enabled 3D printing platform that addresses a fundamental limitation in electrochemical energy storage: the tradeoff between electrode thickness and transport efficiency.
While thicker electrodes increase energy density by incorporating more active material, they typically suffer from poor ion transport and high resistance. To overcome this, the team designed interpenetrating 3D electrode architectures using an acrylate-based resin infused with graphene oxide (GO). The inclusion of GO enables the fabrication of highly porous, conductive structures that support both efficient ion diffusion and electron transport throughout ultra-thick electrodes.
Graphene oxide enables improved supercapacitors with 1683 C/g capacitance
Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Technology, Naval University of Engineering and Liaoshen Industries Group have developed a highly porous NiCo₂V₂O₈@GO hollow sphere electrode material that could improve supercapacitor performance. This innovation tackles the persistent challenge of low energy density in supercapacitors, which excel in power delivery and cycle life but lag behind batteries in stored energy.
The team first explored a series of ternary metal vanadates - NiₓCo₃₋ₓV₂O₈, NiₓMn₃₋ₓV₂O₈, and NiₓCu₃₋ₓV₂O₈ (x = 1, 1.5, 2) - to pinpoint optimal metal combinations for electrochemical activity. They then refined NiCo₂V₂O₈@GO via anion exchange on metal glycerolate precursors, followed by annealing to form yolk-double-shell hollow nanospheres coated with graphene oxide (GO). This core-shell design leverages GO's 2D scaffold to prevent nanoparticle aggregation, boost electrical conductivity, and expand the electrochemically accessible surface area.
Carbon-Ion Energy explores graphene integration in its supercapacitors
Carbon-Ion Energy has announced that it is re-examining the integration of graphene into its supercapacitors in collaboration with graphene producers Levidian and HydroGraph, which supply ultra-pure graphene (99.9% and 99.8% purity). Both companies use advanced combustion-based methods that produce highly consistent graphene.
The company has experience with graphene since the mid-2010s, having previously collaborated with other graphene suppliers. Carbon-Ion believes newer graphene structures may enhance ion transport and energy storage efficiency in their supercapacitors by optimizing inter-layer spacing and morphology.
Researchers develop high-capacitance graphene films for improved supercapacitors
Researchers from China's Dalian Jiaotong University and South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics have developed a graphene-based electrode for supercapacitors using a novel slit evaporation self-assembly process. The resulting freestanding sulfuric acid-treated reduced graphene oxide/commercial graphene (S-ATrGO/CG) films demonstrate excellent energy storage capabilities and durability, potentially benefitting graphene-enhanced supercapacitors.
The team introduced a capillary slit-assisted self-assembly method that leverages narrow glass slits to guide the controlled stacking of graphene flakes during solvent evaporation. This process promotes highly ordered, laminated structures, reducing the common issue of flake restacking that limits ion transport in conventional graphene films. Capillary forces, combined with π–π interactions and electrostatic attraction, ensure that sulfuric acid-treated graphene oxide (ATGO) and commercial graphene (CG) align into continuous, freestanding films with high structural integrity.
Flower-like MoS2/graphene nanocomposite enables high-performance flexible all-solid-state asymmetric micro-supercapacitor
Researchers from Sungkyunkwan University and Hubei University of Technology have reported a scalable and cost-effective process to produce an all-solid-state asymmetric micro-supercapacitor based on nanostructured flower-like MoS2/graphene cathode and activated carbon anode. The MoS2/graphene nanocomposites were synthesized via a hydrothermal method, leveraging the synergistic effect of pseudocapacitive MoS2 and highly conductive graphene to enhance electrode capacitance and cycling stability.
Facile bar-coating and laser cutting techniques were used to fabricate the asymmetric micro-supercapacitor. The device has a stable operating voltage of 1.6 V, and achieves an impressive area capacitance of 183.7 mF cm−2, and a maximum area energy density of 65.3 mWh cm−2, which the team says is the highest areal energy density among MoS2-based micro-supercapacitors.
Skeleton Technologies opens new facility in Texas
Skeleton Technologies is accelerating its expansion in the United States as demand for AI infrastructure strains power grids nationwide. As part of this expansion, the company recently announced the opening of a new engineering facility in Houston, Texas.
Data center power consumption in the U.S. is projected to more than double by the end of the decade. AI data centers are not only energy-intensive but also have highly variable power profiles, creating sharp demand spikes that grid infrastructure is not designed to handle. This strain increases the risk of outages and forces utilities to build more power plants and upgrade equipment, which can drive higher electricity prices. Skeleton’s solutions enable AI data centers to smooth out their power demand profiles and reduce energy consumption by up to 45 percent. As a result, Skeleton significantly reduces the burden that AI data centers place on the electric grid and enables data center operators to extract more computing power with a lower energy footprint.
Graphene-Info publishes a new edition of its Graphene Supercapacitors Market Report
Today we published a new edition of our Graphene Supercapacitors Market Report, with all the latest information. The supercapacitor market and industry is facing high demand and graphene is a pivotal material for this application. The report is now updated to February 2026, with all the latest projects, news and research results.
Reading this report, you'll learn all about:
- The advantages of using graphene in supercapacitors
- Various types of graphene materials
- Market insights and forecasts
- What's on the market today
The report package also provides:
- A list of all graphene companies involved with supercapacitors
- Prominent research activity in this field
- Free updates for a year
This Graphene Supercapacitors market report provides a great introduction to graphene materials used in the supercapacitor market, and covers everything you need to know about graphene in this niche. This is a great guide for anyone involved with the supercapacitor market, nanomaterials, electric vehicles and mobile devices.
Researchers develop improved supercapacitors based on dual-functional porous graphene
Researchers at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in India have reported high-voltage supercapacitors based on a dual-functional porous graphene carbon nanocomposite (PGCN) electrode, which could be beneficial for applications like solar panels and also provide electric vehicles with increased range and faster acceleration.
Conventional electrolytes used in commercial supercapacitors can operate between 2.5–3.0 V and begin to decompose or face safety issues (such as flammability) at higher voltages. The team's new design was able to reach 3.4 V, which the scientists defined as 'unprecedented', overcoming the 3.0 V limitation of conventional supercapacitors along with significantly improved energy storage. This work addresses electrolyte instability, doubling energy density to provide electric vehicles with increased range and faster acceleration while simplifying module design through reduced cell stacking.
Skeleton’s €220M Leipzig SuperFactory comes online to power AI and Europe’s grids
Skeleton Technologies is reported to have officially opened its €220 million SuperFactory in Markranstädt, near Leipzig, which is already delivering graphene-based supercapacitors to Siemens, General Electric and Hitachi Energy for European electrical grids, as well as to major US hyperscalers for AI infrastructure. The Leipzig plant is framed as a key hub in a fully European value chain, supplying high‑power, fast‑charging energy storage for AI data centers and grid‑stability projects as part of a broader energy‑transition and AI‑infrastructure strategy.
Notably, the road to full production has not been smooth. The factory had originally been planned to start production and ramp up in 2024, but equipment and supplier issues pushed completion of the final lines and full ramp‑up into 2025, prompting some public talk of Skeleton “failing to launch the plant in time,” even though the project itself was not cancelled. During this period Skeleton shut its older Dresden site and laid off staff in Estonia, which added to the perception problems, but the company now presents the Leipzig SuperFactory as opened, producing and delivering at scale
