Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have developed a low-cost process that uses cobalt metal complexes and polypyrrole conductive polymers to make high-power, low-cost supercapacitor film electrode materials.
Supercapacitors are rechargeable energy storage devices that provide high power density charges faster than traditional batteries. AIts advantage is fast charging speed, and it can still maintain storage capacity after hundreds to thousands of charging cycles. Supercapacitors are widely used in various fields, including regenerative braking systems for electric vehicles, wireless communications, and high-power lasers. However, the high cost of electrode materials hinders the widespread use of such devices. Therefore, it is important to develop high-capacitance materials (improve charge-discharge cycles) while reducing material costs.
Polypyrrole (PPY) materials can increase the efficiency of capacitors, so they have attracted wide attention from the scientific community. Among various conductive polymers, polypyrrole has become the most promising conductive polymer because of its high conductivity, low cost, and easy synthesis. In addition, PPy materials also exhibit excellent redox reversibility and environmental stability. In this study, the researchers deposited the prepared cobalt (III) complex and polypyrrole (PPY) composite film (CoN4-PPy) on the surface of a glassy carbon working electrode. Cyclic voltammetry studies show that compared with alkaline and organic solutions, CoN 4 -PPy has an outstanding charge storage performance in acid electrolytes.
Another reason for the increase in specific capacitance may lie in the thin-film fabrication method. There are two common preparation techniques: chemical precipitation and electrochemical deposition. In the first method, particle agglomeration and binder problems hinder the preparation of the material because the effective surface area of the material is reduced, increasing the internal resistance, resulting in lower specific capacitance. This study used electrochemical deposition method to disperse CoN 4 throughout the PPy film with a large effective surface area. Therefore, the material is capable of generating a high current density with a large specific capacitance.
Dr. Anindya Ghosh, a professor of chemistry who led the research, said: "In industrial applications, we can use low-cost materials with simple technology to make thin-film electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors in less than an hour. Speed up the process and reduce the cost of synthesis. "The researchers believe that their work can help the scientific community, even beyond the field of supercapacitor electrodes, and is expected to change various practical applications.