Fabrication, properties, and performance of graphene-based textile fabrics for supercapacitor applications: A review

The attention towards flexible and wearable energy storage devices is intensifying as traditional energy storage technologies fail to satisfy the criteria for wearable applications. With its outstanding electrical and electrochemical properties, graphene has emerged as a novel material for fabricating flexible supercapacitor electrodes. Recently, graphene-based textile fabrics have captured enormous attention for their potential application as flexible electrodes owing to their high porosity, lightweight nature, and biocompatibility characteristics. We first highlighted graphene synthesis and the underlying fabrication strategies of graphene-based fabrics. Subsequently, the focus turned to diverse modification strategies of graphene-based fabrics with numerous functional materials. It is revealed that the modified microstructure and the synergy between graphene and these functional materials significantly boost the electrical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties of fabric electrodes. Moreover, the performance parameters (i.e., energy density, power density, cyclic stability, mechanical durability, etc.) of the flexible graphene-based fabric supercapacitor are evaluated in terms of various supercapacitor configurations. The potential applications of graphene-based fabric supercapacitors and the challenges of the technology are thoroughly discussed. Finally, the environmental impact and future perspective of the technology are outlined. Hopefully, this article will lay the groundwork for future research into designing high-performance graphene-based fabric supercapacitors and even beyond. • Numerous novel fabrication technologies of graphene integrated fabric-based electrodes have been investigated. • Integration of graphene enhances the electrochemical performance of fabric-based supercapacitors. • The electro-mechanical, and electro-chemical properties of fabric-based electrodes have been critically analyzed. • The performance of fabric-based devices has been evaluated in terms of flexibility and various device configurations. • Feasibility of supercapacitor applications has been inspected in terms of existing textile manufacturing technologies.