A Graphene Oxide-Thioamide Polymer Hybrid for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

The controlled chemical functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) represents a powerful strategy to finely tune its physical and chemical properties toward applications in energy storage. Herein, an unprecedented approach for the GO modification with thioamide-based polymers featuring numerous heteroatoms (S,N,O) is reported, which is instrumental for achieving superior electrochemical performance in symmetric supercapacitors. While the electrochemical investigations in aqueous electrolytes reveal specific capacitance of 221 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1), the use of organic media allows the specific capacitance to be boosted up to 340 F g(-1). Additionally, the increase of operating window yields energy densities as high as 94.4 Wh kg(-1), thereby exceeding state-of-the-art performances of GO-based supercapacitors. Furthermore, the symmetric devices exhibit great robustness in both aqueous and organic electrolytes as evidenced by an excellent stability after 5000 working cycles (>98% in H2SO4 and >90% in TEABF(4)/ACN).

Automated summary

This article reports an unprecedented approach for the modification of graphene oxide (GO) using thioamide-based polymers with heteroatoms (S, N, O), which greatly enhances the electrochemical performance of symmetric supercapacitors. The use of organic media allows for a specific capacitance of up to 340 F g(-1) and energy densities as high as 94.4 Wh kg(-1), surpassing current GO-based supercapacitors. The symmetric devices also exhibit excellent stability in aqueous and organic electrolytes.