One-Step Sputtered Chromium/ Chromium Nitride Thin Films for Enhanced Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

Efficient energy storage has become an important issue. Supercapacitors with high stability and instantaneous high-power output for energy storage systems have attracted research attention. In this study, we demonstrate the possibility of applying Cr:CrN thin films to electrostatic double-layer capacitor (EDLC) electrodes. Chromium electrodes are nitrided via sputtering, giving the chromium layers the characteristics of a pseudocapacitive electrode. An EDLC structure is adopted, making it a hybrid capacitor with both electrostatic and electrochemical properties. The experimental results show that EDLCs with Cr:CrN thin film electrodes have excellent properties (e.g., fast charging, high current density tolerance, and low cost). Cr:CrN thin films thus have great potential as EDLC electrodes.