Self-healing, flexible and smart 3D hydrogel electrolytes based on alginate/PEDOT:PSS for supercapacitor applications

• Main Authors: Badawi, Nujud M. M., Bhatia, Mamta, Ramesh, Subramaniam, Ramesh, Kasi, Kuniyil, Mufsir, Shaik, Mohammed Rafi, Khan, Mujeeb, Shaik, Baji, Adil, Syed E. F.
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2023
• Subjects: QC Physics; TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/38675/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Hydrogel electrolytes for energy storage devices have made great progress, yet they present a major challenge in the assembly of flexible supercapacitors with high ionic conductivity and self-healing properties. Herein, a smart self-healing hydrogel electrolyte based on alginate/poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (alginate/PEDOT:PSS)(A/P:P) was prepared, wherein H2SO4 was employed as a polymeric initiator, as well as a source of ions. PEDOT:PSS is a semi-interpenetrating network (IPN) that has been used in recent studies to exhibit quick self-healing properties with the H2SO3 additive, which further improves its mechanical strength and self-healing performance. A moderate amount of PEDOT:PSS in the hydrogel (5 mL) was found to significantly improve the ionic conductivity compared to the pure hydrogel of alginate. Interestingly, the alginate/PEDOT:PSS composite hydrogel exhibited an excellent ability to self-heal and repair its original composition within 10 min of cutting. Furthermore, the graphite conductive substrate-based supercapacitor with the alginate/PEDOT:PSS hydrogel electrolyte provided a high specific capacitance of 356 F g(-1) at 100 mV/s g(-1). The results demonstrate that the A/P:P ratio with 5 mL PEDOT:PSS had a base sheet resistance of 0.9 Omega/square. This work provides a new strategy for designing flexible self-healing hydrogels for application in smart wearable electronics.