Polypyrrole Nanowires with Ordered Large Mesopores: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications in Supercapacitor and Lithium/Sulfur Batteries.

Fuxing Yin,Guoyan Wu,Chengwei Zhang,Jun Ren,Yongguang Zhang

doi:10.3390/polym11020277

Abstract

In this work, we report the preparation of polypyrrole nanowires with ordered large mesopores (OMPW) by a simple chemical polymerization method from dual templates synthesized by self-assembling silica nanospheres in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane channels. The obtained OMPW showed a large surface area (231.5 m2 g−1), high aspect ratio, and interconnected large mesopores (~23 nm). The OMPW was tested as a supercapacitor electrode and showed a specific capacitance of 453 F g−1 at 0.25 A g−1. A sulfur/OMPW (S/OMPW) cathode was fabricated via a simple solution method and a heat-treatment process for lithium/sulfur batteries (LSBs). The S/OMPW composite delivered a large discharge capacity reaching 1601 mAh g−1 at the initial cycle, retaining 1014 mAh g−1 at the 100th cycle at 0.1 C. The great electrochemical performances of the OMPW capacitor electrode and S/OMPW composite were attributed to the large specific surface areas and interconnected mesopores that could supply more active sites for the electrochemical reaction and facilitate mass transfer.

Highlights

Nanostructured polypyrrole (PPy) with elevated p-conjugated polymeric chains, good conductivity, and unique electrical properties has received increasing attention in various areas including energy storage and conversion, sensing, and drug delivery [1,2,3]
ordered mesoporous PPy nanowires (OMPW) exhibits a large specific surface area and ordered mesoporous structure, it was tested as supercapacitor electrodes and a sulfur host in lithium/sulfur batteries (LSBs)
(453 F g−1 at 0.25 A g−1 ) with good cycling performance, which is attributed to its interconnected ordered mesoporous structure that can provide more active sites and effective mass transport and the fact that 1D nanostructures have more stable mechanical properties than PPy nanoparticles

Summary

Introduction

Nanostructured polypyrrole (PPy) with elevated p-conjugated polymeric chains, good conductivity, and unique electrical properties has received increasing attention in various areas including energy storage and conversion, sensing, and drug delivery [1,2,3]. One-dimensional (1D) PPy nanostructures have attracted considerable attention in the field of electrochemical energy storage, including supercapacitors and lithium/sulfur batteries (LSBs), due to their high conductivities and novel size effects, which could increase the contact surface area between the electrode and electrolyte [9,10]. The applications of PPy-based electrodes are so far limited due to the insufficient use of the inner layer of the electrode caused by the low surface areas. To this end, ordered mesoporous materials look promising thanks to their large Brunner−Emmet−Teller (BET) surface area and controlled mesoporous structures [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion