These proposed mechanisms can explain some but not all SSA experimental observations. Most importantly, it was shown that the relative charge on the electrode closest to the gas reservoir affects the adsorption behaviour of the device. Specifically, it was found that when the supercapacitor was charged in a negative charging mode, i.e. with the gas-exposed electrode charged negatively, carbon dioxide was captured by the cell. In contrast, when the cell was charged in a positive charging mode, i.e. with the gas-exposed electrode charged positively, carbon dioxide release was observed. These findings cannot easily be explained with the three mechanisms described above and highlight a clear need for further investigation into the mechanism of SSA which addresses the CO2 speciation and how this changes in different parts of the cell during charging/discharging. competing processes at the two electrodes of the supercapacitor and confirms that SSA is an inherently kinetic phenomenon. A thorough understanding of the mechanism of SSA allows for tailored development of this technology to increase the adsorption capacity and make SSA more competitive with the industry standard amine scrubbing.