Highly Stable CuS Nanotrough-Networks Constructed on Arbitrate Substrate for Flexible Supercapacitor

Herein, supercapacitors (SC) are fabricated on arbitrary flexible substrates by constructing copper sulfide nanotrough-network and electrodeposition of polyaniline (PANI@CuS NN) as electrode. Attributed to its unique hollow structure, the CuS NN current collector demonstrates high conductivity (10.4 & omega; (-1)) and mechanical flexibility (within 2.3% relative resistance change after more than 1,000 bending times at the radius of 4 mm). The obtained PANI@CuS NN electrode demonstrates more than 218.28 F g(-1) specific capacity at the current density of 1 A g(-1), remaining 85.08% of the original capacity after 1,000 cycles (5 A g(-1)). This can be attributed to that CuS NN provides abundant attachment sites for PANI by the large specific surface area. Additionally, a flexible solid-state supercapacitor is constructed by coating silk fibroin hydrogel as the electrolyte between the PANI@CuS NN and another CuS NN electrode loaded with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs@CuS NN). The capacity is 107.8 F g(-1) at the current density of 0.25 A g(-1) with excellent cycling stability.

Automated summary

In this study, supercapacitors on flexible substrates were fabricated by constructing a copper sulfide nanotrough-network and electrodeposition of polyaniline. The CuS NN current collector showed high conductivity (10.4 Ω-1) and mechanical flexibility (less than 2.3% relative resistance change after 1,000 bending times). The PANI@CuS NN electrode exhibited a specific capacity of more than 218.28 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) current density, with 85.08% of the original capacity remaining after 1,000 cycles (5 A g(-1)). Additionally, a flexible solid-state supercapacitor was constructed using silk fibroin hydrogel as the electrolyte, achieving a capacity of 107.8 F g(-1) at 0.25 A g(-1) current density with excellent cycling stability.