Diagnostics of supercapacitors using cyclic voltammetry: Modeling and experimental applications

•A review of CV curve measures for supercapacitors has been made.•A model of supercapacitors’ CV measuring was developed by De Levie approach.•Analytical and numerical solutions of the problem agree well.•The electrical potential distribution in supercapacitor electrodes was found. In this article, we analyzed a method of cyclic voltammetry (CV) with respect to diagnostics of supercapacitors. The main goal deals with the study of the voltage sweep rate limits allowing to reach equilibrium conditions during recording of CV curves. A mathematical model of cycling based on the De Levie model has been developed. Using this model, the CV curves of a supercapacitor with two symmetric porous electrodes and a separator have been calculated numerically for different sweep rates. These curves are in a good agreement with experimental CV curves. For the first time, an exact analytical solution is obtained for linear voltage sweep for a symmetric supercapacitor during the charge process. The concept of equilibrium CV curves is proposed and the criterium for the equilibrium conditions depending on voltage sweep rate and other parameters of the system is established. When the potential sweep rate exceeds the equilibrium conditions, the CV curves deviate from a rectangular shape and take the form of a “modified ellipses with sharp edges”. A review of publications related with experimental measurements of CV curves has been provided using the developed concept of equilibrium conditions. Application of themathematical model to experimental CV curves makes it possible to reveal the presence of Faraday reactions.