Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers for Supercapacitors

• Published in: Advanced materials technologies Vol. 9; no. 9
• Main Authors: Genene, Zewdneh, Xia, Zhenyuan, Yang, Guijun, Mammo, Wendimagegn, Wang, Ergang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 06-05-2024
• Subjects: conjugated polymers; cyclic voltammetry; electrolyte; pseudocapacitors; supercapacitors
• ISSN: 2365-709X; 2365-709X
• DOI: 10.1002/admt.202300167

Conjugated polymers have attracted growing attention for versatile applications in energy storage due to their potential benefits including low‐cost processing, molecular tunability, environmental benignity, and high mechanical flexibility. In particular, polymer‐based organic electrode materials have shown significant progress in supercapacitor (SC) applications with superior electrochemical behaviors. The performances of SCs are closely related to the intrinsic characteristics of different polymers in the nanoscale and the morphological features of the polymer‐based electrode materials obtained by different fabrication techniques in the macroscale. This review summarizes the design and synthesis of both p‐type and n‐type conjugated polymers, highlighting the pros and cons of three synthesis techniques: electrochemical polymerization, chemical polymerization, and in situ polymerization. The performances of conjugated polymers in SCs, their cycling stabilities, and structure‐performance relationships are discussed. Moreover, the existing challenges and future directions of polymer‐based SCs are considered with respect to energy density, stability, and large‐scale production to promote commercialization.
This review provides an overview of the design and synthesis strategies for both p‐type and n‐type conjugated polymers intended for supercapacitor applications and examines the advantages and limitations of three key synthesis methods: electrochemical polymerization, chemical polymerization, and in situ polymerization. It discusses their performance in supercapacitors, cycling stabilities, structure‐performance relationships, existing challenges, and future directions.