Recently, structural supercapacitors have attracted considerable attention due to their concurrent capability to store electrochemical energy and support mechanical loads. However, the greatest challenge in realizing an integrated electro-mechanical system is the development of highly compatible electrodes and structural electrolytes with superior mechanical and electrochemical performance. Here, a structural supercapacitor assembled with a 3D rGO@MnO2 nickel foam electrode and polyacrylic acid–Portland cement–KOH electrolyte is reported to solve the challenge for the first time. The resulting rGO@MnO2 electrode exhibits a high areal capacitance of 1.84 F cm−2 at 0.5 mA cm−2, with the areal capacitance remaining at 1.13 F cm−2 even at a current density of 40 mA cm−2. The structural electrolyte with 6 wt% polyacrylic acid–Portland cement–KOH shows the best combination of an ionic conductivity of 2.13 mS cm−1 and a compressive strength of 28.5 MPa. The resulting asymmetric structural supercapacitor with an areal capacitance of 51.5 mF cm−2 at 0.1 mA cm−2 is superior to those reported in latest studies based on carbon materials and resin, which suggests its potential application in structural energy storage for civil engineering.
