Monash University researchers have developed a new form of multiscale graphene that overcomes long-standing limitations in supercapacitor technology. While supercapacitors offer rapid power delivery, their use has been restricted by low volumetric energy density and inefficient ion transport in conventional carbon materials. The Monash team addressed this by applying a rapid thermal annealing step to graphite oxide, producing highly curved, turbostratic graphene crystallites interwoven with disordered domains. This architecture creates efficient ion pathways and enables partial charge transfer within the graphene interlayers, significantly boosting accessible surface area.
The differences between lamellar, disordered and multiscale graphene with morphological characterization of M-rGO. Image from: Nature Communications
The resulting material, termed multiscale reduced graphene oxide (M-rGO), delivers a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller capacitance of 85 μF/cm² and enables supercapacitor electrodes with both high energy and power densities. When assembled into symmetric pouch-cell devices, M-rGO supercapacitors achieved stack-level volumetric energy densities of up to 99.5 Wh/L in ionic liquid electrolytes and demonstrated rapid charge-discharge performance with power densities as high as 69.2 kW/L, along with excellent long-term stability.
According to Professor Mainak Majumder, director of the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Manufacturing with 2D Materials, the breakthrough lies in unlocking much more of graphene’s theoretical surface area through controlled thermal treatment, thereby enabling fast-charging supercapacitors that could rival conventional batteries in energy storage while surpassing them in power delivery. Co-author Petar Jovanović emphasized that these results represent some of the best performance metrics ever achieved for carbon-based supercapacitors, with the added advantage of scalability and compatibility with locally sourced graphite.
The innovation is already moving toward commercialization via Monash spinout Ionic Industries, which is producing the graphene material in commercial quantities. The technology promises to accelerate applications in electrified transport, grid stabilization, and consumer electronics, marking a major advance in the global race to develop graphene-based energy storage.
