Integration of Supercapacitors with Sensors and Energy-Harvesting Devices: A Review

The vigorous development of wearable and implantable electronics provides a series of new solutions for human health monitoring and disease diagnosis and treatment. Considering the particularity of the operating environment, this also puts forward higher requirements for energy storage devices (ESDs). Supercapacitors stand out from many ESDs due to their unique advantages, such as high power density, long life, and ease of fabrication. For different application requirements, supercapacitors are developing toward flexibility, multifunction, and integration. This review highlights the recent progress in developing supercapacitor-integrated systems. Smart supercapacitors with unique properties, their applications, and integrations with various sensors and/or energy-harvesting devices are discussed and summarized thoroughly. Furthermore, the all-in-one device enabled by compatible materials and ingenious structure design is also described. From practical perspectives, the key challenges facing the development of supercapacitor-integrated systems are presented, and the suggestions for future research directions are given. Recently, due to breakthroughs in the field of wearable and implantable electronics, supercapacitors with multiple functions have received widespread attention at the forefront of energy storage device technology. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in integrated systems of supercapacitors with sensors and energy harvesting devices. The opportunities and challenges facing integrated systems are discussed to drive their development. image