Nature Communications

Filtering capacitor is a necessary component in the modern electronic circuit. Traditional filtering capacitor is often limited by its bulky and rigid configuration and narrow workable scope of applications. Here, an aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor is developed for alternating current line filtering with an applicable wide frequency range from 1 to 10,000 Hz. This capacitor possesses an areal specific energy density of 438 μF V2 cm−2 at 120 Hz, which to the best of our knowledge is record high among aqueous electrochemical capacitors reported so far. It can convert arbitrary alternating current waveforms and even noises to straight signals. After integration of capacitor units, a workable voltage up to hundreds of volts (e.g., 200 V) could be achieved without sacrificing its filtering capability. The integrated features of wide frequency range and high workable voltage for this capacitor present promise for multi-scenario and applicable filtering capacitors of practical importance. AC to DC conversion is important for renewable power sources, and requires suitable filtering capacitors. Here the authors report a series-connected configuration of aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitors for alternate current line filtering of arbitrary waveforms in wide frequency and voltage ranges.

Arbitrary waveform AC line filtering applicable to hundreds of volts based on aqueous electrochemical capacitors