Characterization of stainless steel mesh as a current collector in the supercapacitor application

Abstract

Stainless steel mesh is an inert material that is used as a current collector in the supercapacitor application. In this work, the morphology, elemental, and structural properties of stainless steel mesh were characterized. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanic charge discharge (GCD) analyses were used to investigate the electrochemical behavior, performance and cycle life of stainless steel mesh. The surface morphology of stainless steel is smooth, but after the CV, formation of thin oxide layer of chromium oxide was observed. There were no redox peaks on the CV curve, and the use of stainless steel mesh as a current collector does not affect the specific capacitance value of the electrode material. It is suggested that an electrochemically inert current collector such as stainless steel mesh is suitable for use in a supercapacitor application.