Manufacturing of polypyrrole-FeOOH supercapacitors

The low capacitance of charge storage materials for negative electrodes of supercapacitors (SCap) is a bottleneck in the manufacturing of asymmetric SCap with high operation voltage and high power. Polypyrrole (PPR)-FeOOH-carbon nanotube (NT) electrodes with high electrochemically active material mass (AM) of 32 mg cm^?2 are manufactured for operation in a negative potential range. The manufacturing method involves the use of copolymer of styrenesulfonic and maleic acids (PSAMA) as a new poly-charged dopant for PPR and pyrocatechol violet (PCV) as a co-dispersant for NT and FeOOH. PPR-FeOOH-NT electrodes show enhanced properties in the negative potential range, compared to PPR-NT electrodes. A capacitance (C_S) of 3.8 F cm^?2 is obtained for PPR-FeOOH-NT electrodes with PPR:FeOOH mass ratio of 7:2. The electrodes offer advantages of low resistance and high ratio of AM to conductive support mass. The C_S of negative PPR-FeOOH-NT electrodes matches the C_S of positive MnO₂-NT electrodes of the same AM. Asymmetric SCap is fabricated, which shows high capacitance in a voltage range of 0–1.6 V and low resistance, high power, and energy, which make it important for industrial SCap applications.     

新型磁性离子交换吸附TiO_2@Fe_3O_4/聚吡咯树脂复合材料制备及其吸附性能

首先采用溶胶-凝胶法制备TiO_2@Fe_3O_4核壳结构的磁性纳米粒子,然后与聚吡咯(PPy)采用原位聚合法制备TiO_2@Fe_3O_4/PPy磁性离子交换吸附剂。通过TEM、SEM对样品的形貌及粒径进行表征,用XRD表征分析物相,FTIR表征样品的表面性质,用VSM测定磁性能,由紫外-可见分光光度计测定吸光度,并对孔雀石绿溶液进行吸附性能测试。结果表明,PPy与TiO_2@Fe_3O_4纳米粒子复合后形貌未变,团聚现象明显改善,磁强度为5.384emu·g~(-1),具有超顺磁性。在pH=7,温度为298K条件下,用0.05g TiO_2@Fe_3O_4/PPy吸附剂对25mL 20mg·L~(-1)孔雀石绿溶液(MG)进行吸附,饱和吸附容量为312.50mg·g~(-1),且30min内去除率可达到99.1%。与活性炭相比较,TiO_2@Fe_3O_4/PPy磁性离子交换吸附树脂可以进行大面积动态交换与吸附,吸附性能优于活性炭。     

碳纤维/棉纤维/聚吡咯柔性复合材料的制备及性能研究

柔性超级电容器作为一种储能器件,具有功率密度高、充电时间短、循环寿命长、比电容高等优点,可满足可穿戴器件的需求,而柔性电极材料是决定柔性超级电容器发展的关键因素,它决定着电容器的主要性能指标。采用混纺的方法制备了碳纤维含量为20%(质量分数)的碳纤维/棉纤维混纺纱线,然后通过电化学沉积法在碳纤维/棉纤维混纺纱线上生长聚吡咯颗粒,成功制备了20%(质量分数)碳纤维/棉纤维/聚吡咯柔性复合材料。利用扫描电子显微镜、拉曼光谱分析仪和电化学工作站研究了复合材料的形貌、聚吡咯沉积情况以及复合材料的电容性能。结果表明,20%(质量分数)碳纤维/棉纤维/聚吡咯柔性复合材料中,聚吡咯颗粒直径为30~60 nm,且沉积均匀,化学活性较高;在1.02 mA/cm^2电流密度下,复合材料的最大比电容达到1.28 F/cm^2,其高比电容归因于电极的独特结构;复合材料具有良好的柔韧性、机械稳定性和充放电循环寿命,其经过6000次弯曲循环后,电容保持率仍有80%以上,可以用作柔性可穿戴超级电容器的电极材料。     

Conjugated Polymer Actuators and Devices: Progress and Opportunities

Conjugated polymers (CPs), as exemplified by polypyrrole, are intrinsically conducting polymers with potential for development as soft actuators or “artificial muscles” for numerous applications. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of these materials and the actuation mechanisms, aided by the development of physical and electrochemical models. Current research is focused on developing applications utilizing the advantages that CP actuators have (e.g., low driving potential and easy to miniaturize) over other actuating materials and on developing ways of overcoming their inherent limitations. CP actuators are available as films, filaments/yarns, and textiles, operating in liquids as well as in air, ready for use by engineers. Here, the milestones made in understanding these unique materials and their development as actuators are highlighted. The primary focus is on the recent progress, developments, applications, and future opportunities for improvement and exploitation of these materials, which possess a wealth of multifunctional properties.     

Electrochemically stimulated 2‐ethylhexyl phosphate (EHP) release through redox switching of conducting polypyrrole film and polypyrrole/poly (N‐methylpyrrole) or self‐doped polyaniline bilayers

2‐Ethylhexyl phosphate (EHP) released from poly(pyrrole 2‐ethylhexyl phosphate) (PP‐EHP) was investigated at open circuit and compared with electrochemically stimulated release during potential cycling. It was found that the fast EHP release from the PP‐EHP single layer is substantially retarded and that amounts of spontaneously and electrochemically released EHP can be reduced by constructing bilayers, consisting of a PP‐EHP inner layer and a poly(N‐methylpyrrole)‐poly(styrene sulfonate) (PNMP‐PSS) or self‐doped poly(aniline) sulfonate (SPANI) as the outer films. The presence of outer film over the PP‐EHP allowed surface‐property modification, as well as the control of the rate of EHP release, while electrochemically stimulated EHP release from inner films was not substantially hampered by the outer layer. The quantity of the EHP released was investigated using UV‐vis spectrophotometery and an electrochemical quartz‐crystal microbalance (EQCM) during reduction of PP‐EHP from single layer and bilayers through electrochemical stimulation. EHP was reincorporated to the inner film by applying an anodic potential and then the release of EHP was performed again. The results showed that the outer film could act as a barrier to ion‐and solvent‐transport between the inner film and electrolyte, yielding a more balanced counter‐directional movement of anions. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine at overoxidized polypyrrole film modified glassy carbon electrode

Electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine (HZ) was studied on an overoxidized polypyrrole (OPPy) modified glassy carbon electrode using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The OPPy-modified glassy carbon electrode has very high catalytic ability for electrooxidation of HZ, which appeared as a reduced overpotential in a wide operational pH range of 5-10. The overall numbers of electrons involved in the catalytic oxidation of HZ, the number of electrons involved in the rate-determining and diffusion coefficient of HZ were estimated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It has been shown that using the OPPy-modified electrode, HZ can be determined by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry with limit of detection 36 and 3.7 μM, respectively. The results of the analysis suggest that the proposed method promises accurate results and could be employed for the routine determination of HZ.     

Tuning the optical properties of poly(o-phenylenediamine-co-pyrrole) via template mediated copolymerization

Tailoring of conjugated monomers via copolymerization is a facile method to obtain tunable spectral, morphological and optical properties. To investigate the effect of copolymerization of pyrrole with o-phenylenediamine on the optoelectronic properties of the synthesized copolymers, the present work reports the synthesis of copolymers of o-phenylenediamine with pyrrole with varying mol ratios via chemical polymerization in methylene blue (MB) medium. Copolymerization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible studies. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy revealed variation in the optical properties with the change in the monomer ratio. Fluorescence studies showed that the copolymer containing 80% poly(o-phenylenediamine) revealed highest quantum yield among all the copolymers. The emission color could therefore be tuned by careful selection of narrow band co-monomers, which could help in designing tunable fluorescence emitting materials for potential application in OLED devices.     

Silver nanoparticles decorated polypyrrole/graphene nanocomposite: A potential candidate for next‐generation supercapacitor electrode material

In the present study, we report a simple method to synthesize silver (Ag)‐polypyrrole (PPy)/graphene (Gr) nanocomposite as efficient electrode materials for supercapacitor application. The probable interaction between Ag nanoparticles with both PPy and Gr were characterized by FTIR, UV–visible, and Raman spectroscopies. The morphological analysis confirmed that the Gr sheets are uniformly coated by PPy and in the coated Gr sheets there is the presence of Ag nanoparticles. The Ag‐PPy/Gr nanocomposite achieved the highest specific capacitance of 472 F/g at a 0.5 A/g current density. Better energy and power density also obtained for the nanocomposite. The presence of both Ag nanoparticles and Gr is the main reason for the enhancement of the electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite. Based on the superior electrochemical properties, the nanocomposite can be used for next‐generation supercapacitor electrode material. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44724.     

Novel Iron/Cobalt‐Containing Polypyrrole Hydrogel‐Derived Trifunctional Electrocatalyst for Self‐Powered Overall Water Splitting

Development of efficient, low‐cost, and durable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of significant importance for many electrochemical devices, such as rechargeable metal–air batteries, fuel cells, and water electrolyzers. Here, a novel approach for the synthesis of a trifunctional electrocatalyst derived from iron/cobalt‐containing polypyrrole (PPy) hydrogel is reported. This strategy relies on the formation of a supramolecularly cross‐linked PPy hydrogel that allows for efficient and homogeneous incorporation of highly active Fe/Co–N–C species. Meanwhile, Co nanoparticles are also formed and embedded into the carbon scaffold during the pyrolysis process, further promoting electrochemical activities. The resultant electrocatalyst exhibits prominent catalytic activities for ORR, OER, and HER, surpassing previously reported trifunctional electrocatalysts. Finally, it is demonstrated that the as‐obtained trifunctional electrocatalyst can be used for electrocatalytic overall water splitting in a self‐powered manner under ambient conditions. This work offers new prospects in developing highly active, nonprecious‐metal‐based electrocatalysts in electrochemical energy devices.