One-Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis of Solution-Processable MoS2/PEDOT:PSS Composites for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Yunfeng Chao; Yu Ge; Zhiqi Chen; Xiaoling Cui; Chen Zhao; Caiyun Wang; Gordon G Wallace

doi:10.1021/acsami.0c21439

One-Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis of Solution-Processable MoS₂/PEDOT:PSS Composites for High-Performance Supercapacitors

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021 Feb 17;13(6):7285-7296. doi: 10.1021/acsami.0c21439. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Authors

Yunfeng Chao¹, Yu Ge¹, Zhiqi Chen¹, Xiaoling Cui², Chen Zhao³, Caiyun Wang¹, Gordon G Wallace¹

Affiliations

¹ Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, AIIM Facility, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
² College of petrochemical technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, PR China.
³ School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.

PMID: 33528246
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c21439

Abstract

It is challenging to hydrothermally synthesize solution-processable MoS₂, as the strong van der Waals force between MoS₂ nanosheets induces self-assembly of agglomerates. Here, we introduce poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) into the precursor to impede aggregate formation in the hydrothermal process. A hybrid MoS₂/PEDOT:PSS (MP) hydrogel is formed due to the electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged MoS₂ and positively charged PEDOT chains. This hydrogel can be easily dispersed in water for subsequent solution processing such as vacuum filtration to form free-standing flexible films or extrusion 3D printing to create novel patterns. The MP film with a fracture strength of 18.59 MPa displays excellent electrochemical performance in both aqueous Na₂SO₄ electrolyte (474 mF cm^-2) and solid-state PVA-H₃PO₄ electrolyte (360 mF cm^-2). Flexibility and robustness can be evidenced by high capacitance retention rates of 94 and 89% after being repeatedly bent to 180° for 5000 cycles in aqueous and solid-state electrolytes, respectively.

Keywords: MoS2/PEDOT:PSS composites; hybrid structure; hydrothermal method; solution processable; supercapacitors..