3D printing assisted uniformly coated textile for achieving fully flexible supercapacitors with enhanced performance

Wearable energy storage devices (ESDs), like batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrids, are currently being explored as possible energy storage solutions for flexible electronics. Textile-based composites show significant potential as electrode materials for ESDs that may lead to the development of smart clothing. However, current methods employed for the deposition of active materials onto textiles show substantial inconsistency, leading to varying electrochemical performance in ESDs, thereby limiting their applicability. Addressing this challenge by achieving uniformity in thin coatings is key to improving the reliability and efficiency of ESDs. This study introduces an innovative method for fabricating fully flexible supercapacitors (SCs) with enhanced performance by utilizing 3D-printed frames to produce wrinkle-free, uniformly coated textile electrodes through a modified hydrothermal dip-coating technique. The approach adopted in this study ensures a uniform coating of the electrode, as revealed by FESEM. XRD study confirms that the layer structure of the electrode materials provides a maximum active surface area for electrochemical performance. Rheological analysis informed that moderate shear rates in the viscosity function reveal an apparent transition to a local shear thickening behaviour. Electrochemical characterization of the fabricated fully flexible SCs reveal impressive metrics, including a specific capacitance ( C s ) of 20.39 Fg −1 , an energy density ( E d ) of 2.54 Wh kg −1 , and a power density ( P d ) of 160 W kg −1 . These SCs demonstrate better stability under mechanical deformation, maintaining 91% Coulombic efficiency even when twisted to 180°. SC can retained C s up to 95%, 84%, 91.7%, 88%, and 94%, stability after 5000 cycles under various conditions such as no-load, twisting, bending, folding, and washing, respectively. 3D printing-assisted coating method paves the way for creating high-performance, fully flexible SCs. 3D-printed assisted fully flexible supercitor for wearable application • A 3D printing-assisted hydrothermal dip-coating method was developed for fabricating wrinkle-free, uniformly coated textile electrodes. • The resulting fully flexible supercapacitors exhibit improved electrical and mechanical performance. • The specific capacitance of 20.39 F g -1 , energy density of 2.54 Wh kg -1 , and power density of 160 W kg -1 . • The supercapacitor can retain 91% Coulombic efficiency under 180° twisting, demonstrating excellent flexibility and stability. • The approach provides a scalable and low-cost route for high-performance wearable energy storage devices.