Polymer-based electrochromic supercapacitors (ECSs) are
state-of-the-art
innovations that use a color change to visually convey stored energy
status in real time. However, the electrochemical instability of the
polymers utilized in such devices limits their commercialization due
to the difficulties in solution processability and short charge–discharge
cyclic life. Herein, a simple and cost-effective chemical oxidative
polymerization method is proposed for developing a highly stable and
electrochromically active nanocomposite comprising poly(o-methoxyaniline) (PMOANI) and WO3 nanoflowers. The nanocomposite
shows areal and specific capacitances of 83 mF/cm2 and
133.16 F/g, respectively. Moreover, the practical multifunctionality
of the nanocomposite is demonstrated by developing an ECS device (5
× 5 cm2), which shows an energy density of 370 mWh/kg
and power density of 4 W/kg with stable and prolonged charge–discharge
cycles (>5000). Further, the ECS device is utilized to power a
timer
display (1.2 V) for >20 min using the energy stored in the charged
state (blue color), which changes its color during discharge, demonstrating
its capability as a power source with a real-time energy level indicator.
It is expected that the polymer/metal oxide nanocomposite will certainly
be a promising candidate to replace the traditional polymers in ECS
technologies to achieve prolonged stability for their application
in modern electronic gadgets and infrastructures.
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