Rational Design of Ultrastable Conjugated Microporous Polymers Based on Pyrene and Perylene Units as High-Performance Organic Electrode Materials for Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

We successfully synthesized three perylene dianhydride (PDI)-based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), namely, Py-Ph-Pery, TPE-Ph-Pery, and TPA-Ph-Pery CMPs, through a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. The precursors used in the reaction contained brominated compounds of pyrene (Py), tetraphenylethylene (TPE), triphenylamine (TPA), and 1,4-benzeneboronic acid, which were coupled with redox-active PDI unit. To evaluate the thermal stability, molecular structure, and porosity properties of the synthesized CMPs, we conducted an examination of their Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, along with spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. These CMPs demonstrated moderate thermal stability based on thermogravimetric analysis. In terms of electrochemical performance, the Py-Ph-Pery CMP exhibited a high capacitance of 300 F g–1 (measured at 0.5 A g–1), indicating its excellent capacitive properties. Furthermore, the Py-Ph-Pery CMP displayed exceptional cycle stability at 10 A g–1, retaining more than 93% of its capacity over 5000 cycles. The findings illustrate the potential of these CMPs for reliable and durable energy storage applications. Additionally, we utilized synthesized CMPs to assess the electrochemical characteristics of a symmetric coin supercapacitor. The results further validate the suitability of these CMPs for practical electrical energy storage applications, highlighting their significant promise.