Conducting polymers such as polyaniline and polypyrrole have been widely used as pseudocapacitive electrode materials for supercapacitors. However, their structural instability resulting from repea...

Polyaniline and polypyrrole pseudocapacitor electrodes with excellent cycling stability.

Polyaniline (PANi) based electrode materials for energy storage and conversion

The conversion, storage, and utilization of renewable energy have all become more important than ever before as a response to ever-growing energy and environment concerns. The performance of energy-related technologies strongly relies on the structure and property of the material used. The earth-abundant family of tungsten oxides (WOx ≤3 ) receives considerable attention in photocatalysis, electrochemistry, and phototherapy due to their highly tunable structures and unique physicochemical properties. Great breakthroughs have been made in enhancing the optical absorption, charge separation, redox capability, and electrical conductivity of WOx ≤3 through control of the composition, crystal structure, morphology, and construction of composite structures with other materials, which significantly promotes the efficiency of processes and devices based on this material. Herein, the properties and synthesis of WOx ≤3 family are reviewed, and then their energy-related applications are highlighted, including solar-light-driven water splitting, CO2 reduction, and pollutant removal, electrochromism, supercapacitors, lithium batteries, solar and fuel cells, non-volatile memory devices, gas sensors, and cancer therapy, from the aspect of function-oriented structure design and control.

Tungsten Oxides for Photocatalysis, Electrochemistry, and Phototherapy.

This article provides an overview of solution-based methods for the controllable synthesis of metal oxides and their applications for electrochemical energy storage. Typical solution synthesis strategies are summarized and the detailed chemical reactions are elaborated for several common nanostructured transition metal oxides and their composites. The merits and demerits of these synthesis methods and some important considerations are discussed in association with their electrochemical performance. We also propose the basic guideline for designing advanced nanostructure electrode materials, and the future research trend in the development of high power and energy density electrochemical energy storage devices.

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Solution synthesis of metal oxides for electrochemical energy storage applications

Conducting polymers (CPs), thanks to their unique properties, structures made on-demand, new composite mixtures, and possibility of deposit on a surface by chemical, physical, or electrochemical methodologies, have shown in the last years a renaissance and have been widely used in important fields of chemistry and materials science. Due to the extent of the literature on CPs, this review, after a concise introduction about the interrelationship between electrochemistry and conducting polymers, is focused exclusively on the following applications: energy (energy storage devices and solar cells), use in environmental remediation (anion and cation trapping, electrocatalytic reduction/oxidation of pollutants on CP based electrodes, and adsorption of pollutants) and finally electroanalysis as chemical sensors in solution, gas phase, and chiral molecules. This review is expected to be comprehensive, authoritative, and useful to the chemical community interested in CPs and their applications.

Conducting Polymers in the Fields of Energy, Environmental Remediation, and Chemical–Chiral Sensors

Electrodeposition and pseudocapacitive properties of tungsten oxide/polyaniline composite

Electrochemical synthesis of WO3/PANI composite for electrocatalytic reduction of iodate

Composite nanostructures of tungsten oxide and polyaniline (PANI) were fabricated on carbon electrode by electrocodeposition using sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) as the template. The morphology of the composite can be controlled by changing SDBS surfactant and aniline monomer concentrations in solution. With increasing concentration of aniline in surfactant solution, the morphological change from nanoparticles to nanofibers was observed. The nanostructured WO3/PANI composite exhibited enhanced capacitive charge storage with the specific capacitance of 201 F g-1 at 1.28 mA cm-2 in large potential window of -0.5 - 0.65V versus SCE compared to the bulk composite film. The capacitance retained about 78% when the sweeping potential rate increased from 10 to 150mV/s.

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Tungsten oxide and polyaniline composite fabricated by surfactant-templated electrodeposition and its use in supercapacitors

Hierarchical porous heteroatom-doped carbon composites were developed by carbonization followed by KOH activation process, with natural silkworm cocoon and chemical exfoliated graphene sheets as starting materials. The introduction of graphene sheets offers more hierarchical micro/meso porosities, a low charge-transfer resistance, and a large BET surface area of ∼1281.8 m2 g–1, which are responsible for the fast charge/discharge kinetics and the high rate capability compared with those of single silk fibroins-derived carbon materials. The silk fiber provides a high level of heteroatom functionalities (∼2.54% N and ∼21.3% O), which are desirable for high faradaic pseudocapacitance. The as-prepared carbon composite exhibited a high specific capacitance of 290 F g–1 with good rate capability and cycling stability. The symmetric supercapacitors yielded a high value of energy density of 12.9 W h kg–1 at a power density of 95 W kg–1 with a 1.45 V voltage range in 1 M KOH aqueous electrolytes.

Ben-Xue Zou

Papers

Electrodeposition and pseudocapacitive properties of tungsten oxide/polyaniline composite

Electrochemical synthesis of WO3/PANI composite for electrocatalytic reduction of iodate

Tungsten oxide and polyaniline composite fabricated by surfactant-templated electrodeposition and its use in supercapacitors

Porous Carbon Composite Generated from Silk Fibroins and Graphene for Supercapacitors