Manganese dioxide nanoparticle enrichment in porous conducting polymer as high performance supercapacitor electrode materials

We demonstrated preparation of porous conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) composites as high performance electrochemical energy storage electrode. NPs-enriched PEDOT porous structures are prepared by simple thermal treatment and chemical vapor polymerization (VPP) methods. The incorporation of MnO2 NPs in PEDOT is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy, which indicate the uniform dispersion of MnO2 NPs into porous PEDOT matrix. This porous composite contains large and highly opened surface area with excellent electrochemical activity. A specific capacitance of as high as 321.4 F/g at a 0.5 A/g current density was achieved. The highly conductive and porous PEDOT matrix facilitates fast charge/discharge of the MnO2 NPs and prevents them from agglomerating. These synergic properties enable the metal oxide nanoparticle-enriched porous conducting polymer with both high specific capacitance and good cycling stability as promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storages. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.