Laser-Assisted Patterning of 2D/1D WS₂/CNT Electrodes for All-Solid-State In-Plane Microsupercapacitors with Improved Rate Performance

Microsupercapacitors (MSCs) based on high-performance electrode nanomaterials are considered alternative power sources capable of meeting the growing needs of miniaturized electronic devices. Tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets, with their large surface area and pseudocapacitive nature, serve as potential building blocks for MSC device fabrication. However, the poor electrical conductivity of semiconducting 2H WS2 nanosheets hinders electron transport, thereby limiting the specific capacitance and rate performance of the resulting MSCs. In this study, we report the fabrication of laser-scribed all-solid-state high-rate MSCs by incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into liquid-exfoliated WS2 nanosheets. The optimized MSC device (WS2/CNT5) exhibits an areal capacitance of 6.8 mF cm–2 at 100 μA cm–2, with an excellent cyclic stability of 88.9% after 1000 cycles. Notably, the CNT-incorporated devices, WS2/CNT5 and WS2/CNT10, demonstrate substantial enhancements in rate capability, with 74% and 91% retention, respectively, compared to the pristine WS2-based device. Additionally, the WS2/CNT5 MSC demonstrates excellent energy and power densities of 0.94 μW h cm–2 and 0.05 mW cm–2. These results can be attributed to the formation of a conductive 1D CNT network within the 2D WS2 structure, which facilitates fast electron transport. We believe this strategy can be extended to other synergistic 2D/1D nanocomposites for scalable and facile fabrication of high-rate MSC devices.