Asymmetric interdigitated micro-supercapacitors with high resolution, dedicated to energy storage in embedded micro-systems, are fabricated using a simple micro-fabrication process based on the inkjet printing and electrolytic deposition techniques. The process is optimized to realize a carbon nanotubes (cathode)/manganese oxide (anode) hybrid micro-device with a resolution of 100 μm. The cell capacitance reaches a value of 2.4 mF.cm −2 . Moreover, the use of the asymmetric configuration allows extending the working voltage of the device from 1 V to 1.8 V in an aqueous solution. The latest development of low-power integrated circuits, together with the decrease of their dimensions, has made embedded systems increasingly popular. Wearable electronic devices can be integrated in everyday-use objects, and the emerging technology of wireless sensor networks will lead to a wide range of new applications including environmental monitoring, surveillance or assisted medical care.
1In order to be energetically autonomous, efficient energy harvesting and on-board energy storage technologies are still critical issues for embedded micro-systems.Supercapacitors show very interesting characteristics when it comes to these applications, thanks to their extended lifetimes and high power densities. In the past few years, the integration of low profile supercapacitors on a chip have been the subject of intense research and various types of symmetrical micro-supercapacitors, based on aqueous or organic electrolytes, have been realized.2-6 Aqueous electrolytes usually give lower internal resistance and higher specific capacitance than organic electrolytes, are environmentally friendly, and can be used with pseudo-capacitive materials.7 Despite these advantages of aqueous electrolytes, there is a penalty of a restricted operating voltage range, with an upper limit of ca. 1 V because of inevitable water decomposition in such electrolytes -at higher potentials. This upper limit of operating voltage is lower than that of the organic electrolytes which tends to be greater than 2 V.An interesting way to extend the cell voltage of aqueous electrolyte-based supercapacitors beyond the thermodynamic limit of water splitting is to design an asymmetric device, consisting of two different electrodes having high overpotentials for hydrogen and/or oxygen evolutions.8 Couples of carbonaceous (activated carbon, graphene, carbon black, carbon nanotubes. . . ) and MnO 2 materials are one of the representatives of these asymmetric systems. Carbonaceous materials with electrochemical double layer capacitances, usually exhibit low resistance, high stability and cathodic polarizations.9 At the positive electrode, the manganese oxide exhibits a high pseudo-capacitance involving various valence states and can sustain an oxygen evolution overpotential in neutral solutions. 10,11 These materials have been successfully used to widen the potential window of aqueous electrolytes, in order to obtain high energy and power density supercapacitors.
12-14Although nu...