The relentless drive toward characteristic scale miniaturization and heterogeneous integration in micro/nano-optoelectronic devices have necessitated breakthroughs in energy storage technology. Developing next-generation portable storage systems, combining high power density and energy density, is critical to overcoming the technology bottleneck. Recently, planar micro-supercapacitors (P-MSCs) stand out as promising electrochemical components among emerging solutions, which offer exceptional power performance, ultra-long cycle life, and rapid charge/discharge capabilities. These attributes render them ideal for micro-energy storage, smart electronics, flexible wearable applications, and so on. The electrochemical performance of P-MSCs hinges on both the intrinsic properties of electrode materials and the interfacial structural design.
While research has shown that engineering electrode structures and optimizing materials can effectively enhance device performance, achieving controllable fabrication through a simple, efficient, precise, and universal methodology remains a core challenge in the field.
In a new paper published in Light: Science & Applications , a research team led by Professor Haiyang Xu from the State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics at Northeast Normal University proposed an innovative strategy. This approach combines femtosecond laser plasma lithography with spatial light modulation (SLM-FPL) technology, successfully enabling the in-situ fabrication of graphene-based P-MSCs on silicon substrates.
This SLM-FPL technique is applied for the first time to fabricate micro/nanostructures on P-MSC electrode surfaces. The processing efficiency of this method is orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional laser direct writing.
The lead scientist explained: "Our SLM-FPL platform is a digital, programmable tool for fabricating micro/nano-electrochemical interfaces. It integrates three key functions: first, the in-situ synchronous fabrication of functional electrodes and precisely tailored intra-electrode micro/nanostructures, ensuring structural consistency across the entire device area; second, leveraging the nonlinear effects of femtosecond lasers to directly write sub-wavelength periodic gratings without the need for masks; and third, demonstrating exceptional material compatibility, extendable to device fabrication based on various material systems including graphene oxide, MXene, and covalent organic frameworks."
"The synergy between programmable fabrication and material innovation is key," the scientist further elaborated. "The laser-induced micro/nanograting and surface modifications work in concert to enhance electrode wettability, optimize the distribution of the interfacial electric field, and create directional ion transport channels. This multi-faceted optimization mechanism leads to a significant improvement in device performance."
Comparative experimental results confirm the superior performance of the structured devices fabricated using this method. Notably, graphene oxide devices with horizontally aligned micro/nanograting structures achieved a volumetric capacitance approximately 4.3 times higher than that of unstructured devices with smooth electrodes. Furthermore, by incorporating hybrid composite materials such as MXene and covalent organic frameworks, the capacitive behavior of the electrodes was further enhanced, realizing an additional approximate two-fold improvement. The final devices achieved a volumetric capacitance of approximately 41.4 F/cm³, with energy and power densities of about 2.81 mWh/cm³ and 0.32 W/cm³, respectively. Benefiting from stable processing and well-ordered surface micro/nanostructures, the devices exhibited consistent performance and cycling stability, retaining over 93% capacitance after 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. This performance, coupled with applicability in powering compact circuits and miniaturized sensor systems, underscore the technology’s potential for scalable manufacturing of high-performance SEP-MSC.
"This work transcends the performance optimization of single devices," the scientist concluded. "It establishes a new paradigm for actively designing and precisely constructing high-performance electrochemical interfaces through digital programming. The technology has successfully validated its practical capability to power compact circuits and miniaturized sensor systems, highlighting its significant potential for the scalable manufacturing of high-performance, spatially efficient planar micro-supercapacitors in future integrated systems."
Light Science & Applications
High-efficiency femtosecond laser fabrication of graphene-hybrid planar micro- supercapacitors with micro/nanostructured electrodes