The effect of thermoelectric augmentation dramatically increased the specific capacity for electrochemical energy storage

Conventional methods to enhance the performance of electrode materials include morphological modification and defect engineering, but the limited number of active sites for the electrode remains a huge obstacle to achieving high-performance supercapacitors. In this work, we proposed a strategy to improve the electrode performance under the condition of limited active sites through the thermoelectric effect, and designed thermoelectric electrodes of the p-type Fe_0.3Co_0.7Sb₃ cathode and the n-type Cu_0.3Ag_1.7Se anode for supercapacitors, respectively. In particular, the charge carriers generated by the thermoelectric effect accelerate the electrochemical reaction process at the interface between the thermoelectric electrode and the electrolyte under the temperature difference (ΔT) condition, thus increasing the specific capacity of the electrode. The p-Type Fe_0.3Co_0.7Sb₃ cathode and the n-Type Cu_0.3Ag_1.7Se anode exhibit a 150% and 208% increase in the specific capacity, respectively. Furthermore, electrodes with different conduction types and various thermoelectric properties, such as n/p-type bismuth telluride and n/p-type half-Heusler thermoelectric materials are also studied, confirming the universality of the above phenomenon in thermoelectric electrodes. This work provides a universal route for the thermoelectric effect to promote the energy density of supercapacitors used in high temperature difference environments.