At present, the rapid development of small-scale consumer electronic products calls for the development of flexible and lightweight power supplies, but conventional electrochemical energy storage materials or devices are often difficult to integrate into flexible electronic products. Therefore, finding satisfactory materials and designing and developing new and flexible energy storage material is very important. Recently, Professor Yu Haipeng’s research team from the College of Material Science and Engineering (Biomaterials Science and Technology, a Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education) proposed a strategy of assembling an in-situ polymerization cellulose and the supramolecular of 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) strategy. The development of multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced cellulose / PEDOT: PSS composite membrane electrode materials shows excellent electrochemical performance. Related research results are published inACS Applied Materials & Interfaces(DOI: 10.1021 / acsami.7b01852).

According to Zhao Dawei, the first author of the paper, the ionic liquid has a good solubility on the cellulose and EDOT, which can be mixed in an ionic liquid environment, and then form a molecular segment and network skeleton in the subsequent process of the formation of ultra-molecular assembly, inducing the in situ polymerization and balanced film formation of PEDOT: PSS. It can significantly improve PEDOT’s film formation, flexibility and mechanical stability. The whole process is simple and effective. The introduction of carbon nanotubes into the polymer matrix to prepare flexible and highly conductive composite membrane material has the features of low resistance and high transport rate of electrolyte ion. It shows comprehensive excellent electrochemical performance and cyclic stability in the three-electrode test system. The solid supercapacitor with an electrode material also shows a higher specific capacitance and energy density. At the same time, both the electrode material and the supercapacitor have a high degree of stability, and they can continue to work under significant deformation or high temperature conditions, and the structural integrity and capacitance performance will not change significantly. In general, this work provides a new strategy for the preparation of flexible and conductive energy storage films.

The research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Outstanding Youth Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province and the Ten Thousand Plan Young Talent of the Project.