Electrochemical deposition of vertically aligned tellurium nanorods on flexible carbon cloth for wearable supercapacitors

Low-dimensional metallenes are considered as promising materials for next-generation energy harvesting-, conversion- and storage devices. Herein, we report the preparation of tellurium (Te) nanorods directly anchored on carbon cloth (CC) via an electrosynthesis method and explored their use in wearable energy storage devices. Physico-chemical characterizations by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of Te nanorods aligned on the CC. The growth mechanism of Te nanorods via electrosynthesis method is discussed in detail. Wearable supercapacitor (WSC) fabricated using the Te-CC showed good capacitive properties with high device capacitance (235.6 F g−1), energy density (73.625 Wh kg−1), and excellent capacitance retention over 10,000 cycles. Furthermore, the Te-CC WSC possessed high power density (15,000 W kg−1) and excellent rate capability with better self-discharge characteristics compared with state-of-the art devices. Additionally, we have demonstrated a self-powered system via integration of solar cells with the fabricated Te-CC WSC for powering portable electronic devices. The overall experimental results highlights the importance of electrosynthesized Te-CC as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode that may find applications in the development of next-generation wearable energy devices.