Electrochemical energy storage technology has emerged as one of the most viable solutions to tackle the challenge of fossil-fuel-based technology and associated global pollution. Supercapacitors are widely used for high-power applications, and there is tremendous ongoing effort to make them useful for high-energy storage applications. While electrode materials of supercapacitors play a central role in charge storage performance, insights into the contribution from different charge storage mechanisms are crucial from both fundamental and applied aspects. In this context, apart from the electric double layer and fast redox reaction at/near the surface, another pronounced contribution from the electrode is quantum capacitance (CQ). Here, the origin of CQ, how it contributes to the total capacitance, the possible strategies to improve it, and the state-of-art CQ of electrode materials, including carbon, two-dimensional materials, and their composites, are discussed. Although most of the studies on quantifying CQ are theoretical, some case studies on experimental measurements using standard electrochemical techniques are summarized. With an overview and critical analysis of theoretical studies on quantum capacitance of electrode materials, this review critically examines the supercapacitor design strategies, including choosing the right materials and electrolytes. These insights are also relevant to other types of clean energy storage technologies, including metal-ion capacitors and batteries.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.