Electrospray Deposition of PEDOT:PSS on Carbon Yarn Electrodes for Solid-State Flexible Supercapacitors

The increasing demand for flexible electronic deviceshas risendue to the high interest in electronic textiles (e-textiles). Consequently,the urge to power e-textiles has sparked enormous interest in flexibleenergy storage devices. One-dimensional (1D) configuration supercapacitorsare the most promising technology for textile applications, but oftentheir production involves complex synthesis techniques and expensivematerials. This work unveils the use of the novel electrospray deposition(ESD) technique for the deposition of poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). This deposition methodology on conductivecarbon yarns creates flexible electrodes with a high surface area.The deposition conditions of PEDOT:PSS were optimized, and their influenceon the electrochemical performance of a 1D symmetric supercapacitorwith a cellulose-based gel as an electrolyte and a separator was evaluated.The tests herein reported show that these capacitors exhibited a highspecific capacitance of 72 mF g(-1), an excellentcyclability of more than 85% capacitance retention after 1500 cycles,and an outstanding capability of bending.

Automated summary

The demand for flexible electronic devices has increased due to the high interest in electronic textiles (e-textiles). This has led to a growing interest in flexible energy storage devices to power e-textiles. This study introduces the use of electrospray deposition (ESD) technique for depositing PEDOT:PSS on conductive carbon yarns, creating flexible electrodes with a high surface area. The optimized deposition conditions of PEDOT:PSS have been evaluated for its electrochemical performance in a 1D symmetric supercapacitor with a cellulose-based gel as an electrolyte and separator, showing high specific capacitance, excellent cyclability, and outstanding bending capability.