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
Laser-reduced graphene oxide powers ITO-free solar cells and micro-supercapacitors on the same chip
Researchers at Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), the HMU Research Center's Institute of Emerging Technologies (i-EMERGE), the Foundation for Research and Technology's Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (FORTH-IESL), and the University of Crete have used laser-reduced graphene oxide (LrGO) as a transparent conductive electrode for both perovskite solar cells and micro-supercapacitors fabricated on the same glass substrate.
The team deposited graphene oxide (GO) films by spray coating, then reduced and patterned them using an ultrashort-pulse infrared laser to form conductive LrGO electrodes, avoiding the more complex and costly chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and transfer processes typically used to put graphene into solar cells. The optimized LrGO films reached a sheet resistance of about 400 Ω per square at 38% optical transmittance.
Doping strategy, not surface area, proves key to better graphene capacitor electrodes
Researchers at Parahyangan Catholic University, Universitas Pertamina, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Politeknik Negeri Bandung have found that how graphene oxide is doped matters more than how much surface area the resulting material has, when it comes to building better cathodes for lithium-ion capacitors.
The team synthesized a series of doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) materials using a modified Hummers' method followed by hydrothermal doping, introducing boron, fluorine, nitrogen and sulfur in both dual-element and quaternary (four-element) combinations. Each variant was characterized structurally (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area analysis, XPS, SEM) and tested electrochemically in half-cell configurations using galvanostatic charge-discharge, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy.
Skeleton Technologies partners with DG Matrix on 800V DC power for AI data centers
Skeleton Technologies, the Estonian energy storage company whose supercapacitors and SuperBattery are built on its patented Curved Graphene material, has announced a technical and commercial partnership with US solid-state transformer maker DG Matrix. The collaboration targets the AI data center sector's shift toward 800V DC power architectures.
Under the agreement, Skeleton will integrate its high-power, fast-response energy storage systems across DG Matrix's Interport multi-port solid-state transformer (SST) platform. The joint solution addresses one of the prominent challenges in modern AI facilities: the extreme, repetitive pulse loads generated by GPU clusters, which can exceed the dynamic response capabilities of both the power grid and conventional UPS and battery systems. Skeleton's storage is engineered to respond across timeframes ranging from microseconds to minutes, absorbing short-duration peak loads before they propagate to upstream electrical infrastructure, while DG Matrix's Interport platform routes power in real time across AC and DC sources, storage assets and compute loads at multiple voltage levels.
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 July 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.
Skeleton Technologies launches graphene-based GrapheneUPS for AI data centers
Skeleton Technologies has introduced GrapheneUPS, a high‑density double‑conversion UPS system designed for AI and GPU‑heavy data centers that need continuous power protection while complying with increasingly stringent grid connection codes. The system combines load‑proximate backup with active grid‑stabilizing functions and is based on Skeleton’s inherently safe, fast‑cycling graphene‑enhanced supercapacitor storage, making it an interesting case study for engineers working with high‑power supercapacitor and SuperBattery‑class solutions in modern UPS architectures.
GrapheneUPS uses a continuous AC‑DC‑AC double‑conversion topology that isolates sensitive AI computing equipment from grid disturbances such as voltage dips, short interruptions and fluctuations during grid restoration, while also helping data centers meet evolving grid connection and grid code requirements without separate stabilization equipment at the point of connection. According to Skeleton, the system can enable up to 40% more computing power while requiring up to 44% less grid connection capacity, and delivers roughly 50% lower volume for the same performance compared to conventional UPS systems, supporting deployment in white space, gray space or as a containerized outdoor solution.
Researchers convert HDPE plastic waste into high-quality graphene via flash Joule heating for supercapacitor applications
Researchers from India's Homi Bhabha National Institute and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have demonstrated an efficient route for converting high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste into high-quality turbostratic graphene using flash Joule heating (FJH), while directly validating its performance in supercapacitor electrodes.
The approach relies on rapid capacitive discharge to drive extremely fast resistive heating of the polymer precursor, reaching temperatures above 2500°C within milliseconds. This ultrafast thermal spike induces carbonization and graphitization in a single step, eliminating the need for external furnaces, catalysts, or solvents. Compared to conventional graphene production routes such as chemical vapor deposition or chemical oxidation, the FJH process is significantly simpler, avoids hazardous chemicals entirely, and reduces both energy consumption and environmental impact.
United Utilities secures £9.5m to scale biogas‑to‑graphene technology
United Utilities has secured £9.5 million in funding from Ofwat’s sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge to scale up its biogas‑to‑graphene technology and demonstrate how wastewater can become a major source of advanced materials and clean hydrogen. The company will build on a world‑first trial to produce clean hydrogen and graphene from sewage‑derived biogas, aiming to move from pilot to full‑scale deployment and open new commercial routes for graphene in construction and energy storage.
Having already proven the concept with technology partner Levidian, United Utilities will now install a larger unit designed to produce roughly three times more sustainable hydrogen and graphene than the earlier demonstration system. The project is one of 19 winners in Ofwat’s latest Water Breakthrough Challenge round, with United Utilities leading two projects and partnering on nine more, all focused on turning wastewater streams into valuable resources.
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.
