A high performance PEDOT/PPy composite electrode enabled by regulating molecular growing orientation

• Published in: Synthetic metals 2023-04, Vol.294, p.117322, Article 117322
• Main Authors: Li, Zongyu, Jin, Yingzhi, Liu, Yanfeng, Li, Wangnan, Nie, Shisong, Su, Zhen, Song, Jiaxing, Hu, Lin, Yin, Xinxing, Huang, Sanqing, Wang, Hao, Li, Zaifang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Conductive polymer; Counterion; High capacitance; Morphology; PEDOT; PPy
• ISSN: 0379-6779; 1879-3290
• DOI: 10.1016/j.synthmet.2023.117322

The conductive polymer is a promising candidate for energy storage devices due to its flexibility, light weight, and low cost. Polypyrrole (PPy) has been widely investigated as active material in supercapacitors. Here, conductive Poly (3,4-ethyldioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is used as a substrate for electropolymerization of PPy. The counterion CF3SO3- of PEDOT can adjust the electropolymerization rate and molecular growing orientation of PPy. Therefore, the mass capacitance of the composite electrode (PEDOT/PPy) reaches a top value of 551 F/g, at 2 A/g in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte. This value outperforms the PPy electrode on the ITO substrate by around 53.9%. Moreover, the composite electrode (PEDOT/PPy) shows better stability compared to the PPy on the ITO substrate. This study provides a new route for the preparation of high electrochemical performance conductive polymer composite electrodes. [Display omitted] •PEDOT with high conductivity shows a high capacitance of 284 F/g.•The counterion CF3SO3- of PEDOT adjust the molecular growing orientation of PPy.•The composite PEDOT/PPy electrode exhibits large capacitance of 551 F/g and best rate capability of 99.1%.