High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors Based on 1,2-Naphthoquinone Organic Molecular Electrodes

Enhancing the energy density of supercapacitors throughEnhancing the energy density of supercapacitors through advanced electrode materials is critical, yet doing so while preserving their outstanding cycling stability poses a formidable research challenge. Herein, 1,2-naphthoquinones (NQs) are anchored onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for assembling an organic molecular electrode (OME) via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The as-prepared NQ-rGO demonstrates a Faradaic reaction at ∼0.34 V in a three-electrode system, alongside outstanding electrochemical properties: a high specific capacitance of 332 F g–1 at 5 mV s–1 and remarkable cycling stability (92% retention after 10,000 cycles). To pair with the prepared NQ-rGO, we constructed a negative electrode based on 1,2-Benzanthraquinone (BQ) functionalized rGO (BQ-rGO), which undergoes an electrochemical reaction near −0.07 V, thereby extending the operating voltage of the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC). The assembled ASC (NQ-rGO//BQ-rGO) achieves a high energy density of 32.09 Wh kg–1 at 570 W kg–1, with 90% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. The practical implementation was demonstrated by successfully illuminating 65 LEDs with two series-connected ASCs, confirming its application potential.