Recyclable Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels for Pseudocapacitor Fabrication

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Growing demand for sustainable energy storage solutions.
• Need for environmentally friendly and recyclable materials in pseudocapacitors.
• Conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) hydrogels as promising candidates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrochemical performance and recyclability of CPE hydrogels for energy storage.
• To evaluate the stability and capacitance retention of these materials over extended cycling.
• To explore the potential of CPE hydrogels in a circular recycling strategy.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of anionic CPE hydrogels (Pris-CPE-K).
• Electrochemical characterization using galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) cycles in 2 M NaCl.
• Recycling process involving water extraction and dialysis.
• Structural and rheological characterization using NMR, FTIR, Raman, XPS, GPC, and rheometry.

Main Results:

• Pris-CPE-K hydrogels showed a specific capacitance of 32.6 ± 6.6 F g⁻¹ with 80% retention after 100,000 GCD cycles.
• Recycled CPE hydrogels (Re-CPE-Na) maintained initial capacitance of 26.3 ± 1.2 F g⁻¹ and 77% retention after 100,000 cycles.
• Structural integrity was preserved, with minor changes in rheological properties.

Conclusions:

• CPE hydrogels are recyclable, electrochemically stable, and environmentally friendly pseudocapacitive materials.
• These hydrogels are suitable for energy storage applications, demonstrating long-term stability.
• CPE hydrogels present a viable materials platform for economically viable circular recycling strategies.