Enhancing Supercapacitor Electrochemical Performance with 3D Printed Cellular PEEK/MWCNT Electrodes Coated with...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Supercapacitors (SC) require advanced electrode materials for improved energy storage.
• 3D printing offers precise control over electrode architecture for enhanced performance.
• Nanocomposites of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are promising SC electrode materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrochemical performance of 3D-printed nanocomposite electrodes for supercapacitors.
• To compare the performance of solid versus periodically porous electrodes.
• To evaluate the effect of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) coating on electrode performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of solid and periodically porous PEEK/MWCNT nanocomposite electrodes using 3D printing.
• Coating of electrodes with conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS.
• Electrochemical characterization including capacitance, specific capacitance, and energy density measurements.

Main Results:

• Porous electrodes exhibited significantly higher capacitance compared to solid electrodes.
• PEDOT:PSS coating enhanced specific capacitance to 12.55 mF·cm⁻³ (at 50 mV·s⁻¹) from 4.09 mF·cm⁻³.
• The coated porous electrode achieved an energy density of 1.98 μW·h·cm⁻³.
• Coating reduced surface resistance and voltage drop during cycling.

Conclusions:

• 3D printing enables the creation of high surface area porous electrodes for supercapacitors.
• Conductive polymer coating (PEDOT:PSS) synergistically boosts electrochemical performance.
• Optimized nanocomposite electrodes show great potential for advanced energy storage solutions.