Nanoengineering of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for boosting electrochemical applications

Abstract

As one of the most promising conducting polymers, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) has attracted significant interests in electrochemical applications such as energy storage and electrochromism. However, the intrinsic PEDOT having a dense structure usually exhibits unsatisfactory electrochemical performance such as low charge storage capacity and optical modulation behavior, which limits their applications in supercapacitors and electrochromic devices. In this case, nanoengineering provides an effective strategy to improve the electrochemical performance by optimizing the conjugated structure of PEDOT. Herein, comprehensive reviews and discussions are conducted to demonstrate the nanoengineering of PEDOT for boosting the electrochemical applications. The advantages and shortcomings of PEDOT are discussed firstly, and thus introducing the necessary of nanoengineering for optimizing the electrochemical performance. Some strategies of nanoengineering are summarized according to the classification of physical and chemical methods. Then, the latest advances and progresses are reviewed in detail concerning the applications of nanoengineered PEDOT in supercapacitors and electrochromic devices. Finally, some challenges and prospects are proposed to show the further development of nanoengineering of advanced PEDOT materials and devices. We anticipate that this review will spark new ideas for the construction of high-performance PEDOT towards developing advanced electrochemical devices.