Facile Preparation of Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/MnO₂ Composite Electrodes for Efficient Supercapacitors

Abstract

Abstract An innovative method to prepare poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/MnO 2 composite electrodes without adding any binder, conductive agent, or catalyst is reported. The preparation process for the supercapacitor electrodes is facile and involves simple spin coating and in situ polymerization of vacuum‐deposited 2,5‐dibromo‐3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene. A uniform and stable PEDOT/MnO 2 composite thin film is obtained after the in situ synthesis of the PEDOT thin film on the surface of the MnO 2 nanoparticles with strong adhesion. The PEDOT/MnO 2 supercapacitor electrodes exhibit excellent performance with a high specific capacitance of 575.0 F g −1 at a current density of 8 A g −1 . The symmetrical supercapacitor offers an energy density of 14.6 Wh kg −1 with a high power density of 1365 Wh kg −1 . Moreover, the PEDOT/MnO 2 supercapacitor electrodes can be prepared from flexible substrates, of which the specific capacitance still reaches 352.9 F g −1 at a current density of 5 A g −1 . The preparation method should facilitate the use of the multicomponent composite in further energy‐storage applications as well as in many other related fields.