Nanoparticulate Conjugated Microporous Polymer with Post-Modified Benzils for Enhanced Pseudocapacitor Performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Conjugated microporous polymers (CMP) are promising for energy storage.
• Developing efficient electrode materials for pseudacapacitors remains a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize nanoparticulate CMP (N-CMP) for pseudacapacitor applications.
• To enhance electrochemical performance by introducing redox-active benzil moieties into N-CMP.

Main Methods:

• Kinetic growth control during Sonogashira coupling to synthesize N-CMP (average diameter 41±4 nm).
• FeCl3-catalyzed oxidation of diphenylacetylene moieties in N-CMP to form N-CMP-BZ.
• Electrochemical evaluation of CMP, N-CMP, CMP-BZ, and N-CMP-BZ as pseudacapacitor electrode materials.

Main Results:

• N-CMP-BZ exhibited significantly enhanced electrochemical performance compared to CMP, N-CMP, and CMP-BZ.
• Benzil moieties were found to be redox-active, undergoing a two-electron reduction.
• Nanosize effect in N-CMP improved functional site utilization.

Conclusions:

• N-CMP-BZ demonstrates superior performance as a pseudacapacitor electrode material.
• The enhanced performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of nanosize and the redox activity of benzil moieties.
• This study presents a viable strategy for designing high-performance energy storage materials based on functionalized CMPs.