Electrochemical Exfoliation of Carbon Paper for Binder-Free Cathodes in Zinc-Ion Supercapacitors

• • Electrochemical exfoliation introduces oxygen functional groups on carbon paper, increasing pseudocapacitance and enabling a binder-free electrode with a capacitive contribution of 78.8% at 10 mV/s, which is critical for high-rate performance. • • The EECP electrode achieves a maximum specific capacitance of 252.5 F/g at 1 A/g, outperforming many conventional carbon-based electrodes, and retains 81.7% of capacitance after 10,000 cycles, indicating excellent long-term stability. • • A full ZISC device delivers a capacitance of 186.22 F/g at 1 A/g with 97.01% retention after 10,000 cycles, demonstrating robust cycle life for practical energy storage. • • The ZISC achieves an energy density of 46.6 Wh/kg at a power density of 500.4 W/kg, positioning it as a competitive option for renewable energy storage applications.