Abstract
Fired brick is a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, that throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. Here, we develop a scalable, cost-effective and versatile chemical synthesis using a fired brick to control oxidative radical polymerization and deposition of a nanofibrillar coating of the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). A fired brick’s open microstructure, mechanical robustness and ~8 wt% α-Fe2O3 content afford an ideal substrate for developing electrochemical PEDOT electrodes and stationary supercapacitors that readily stack into modules. Five-minute epoxy serves as a waterproof case enabling the operation of our supercapacitors while submerged underwater and a gel electrolyte extends cycling stability to 10,000 cycles with ~90% capacitance retention.
Highlights
Fired brick is a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, that throughout history has seldom served any other purpose
FeNx, FeP, and Li5FeO4 are synthesized via anionic or cationic exchange for potassium-ion batteries, Zn–air batteries, pseudocapacitors, and lithium-ion batteries[8–11]; electrochemical transformation of hematite leads to FeOOH supercapacitor anodes[12]
Chemistries enabled by hematite provide an opportunity for developing cutting-edge functionalities on a fired brick where 8 wt% α-Fe2O3 content and a 3D porous microstructure afford an ideal substrate for engineering a mechanically robust electrode
Summary
Fired brick is a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, that throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. Vapor-phase synthesis leads to PEDOT coatings exhibiting a high electronic conductivity[14] and facile charge transfer, making it an ideal route for producing electrodes[15]. This synthesis utilizes a brick’s open microstructure and thermal stability to permeate acid and monomer vapor through its pores at 160 °C to control α-Fe2O3 dissolution and Fe3+ hydrolysis with concomitant oxidative radical polymerization. A symmetric brick-based supercapacitor shows an areal capacitance of 1.60 F cm−2 and energy density of 222 μWh cm−2 at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2 This two-electrode-based measurement is collected using 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte under 1 V operating voltage window. A supercapacitor brick module is produced reaching a 3.6 V voltage window by connecting three devices in series
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