Manufacturing Poly(3,4‐Ethylenedioxythiophene) Electrocatalytic Sheets for Large‐Scale H₂O₂ Production

Abstract

Producing thick films of conducting polymers by a low‐cost manufacturing technique would enable new applications. However, removing huge solvent volume from diluted suspension or dispersion (1–3 wt%) in which conducting polymers are typically obtained is a true manufacturing challenge. In this work, a procedure is proposed to quickly remove water from the conducting polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene:poly(4‐styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) suspension. The PEDOT:PSS suspension is first flocculated with 1 m H2SO4 transforming PEDOT nanoparticles (≈50–500 nm) into soft microparticles. A filtration process inspired by pulp dewatering in a paper machine on a wire mesh with apertures dimension between 60 µm and 0.5 mm leads to thick free‐standing films (≈0.5 mm). Wire mesh clogging that hinders dewatering (known as dead‐end filtration) is overcome by adding to the flocculated PEDOT:PSS dispersion carbon fibers that aggregate and form efficient water channels. Moreover, this enables fast formation of thick layers under simple atmospheric pressure filtration, thus making the process truly scalable. Thick freestanding PEDOT films thus obtained are used as electrocatalysts for efficient reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide, a promising green chemical and fuel. The inhomogeneity of the films does not affect their electrochemical function.

Conducting Polymer‐Based e‐Refinery for Sustainable Hydrogen Peroxide Production

“…[ 42 ] However, the financial costs associated with the degree of complexity of the synthesis and purification steps of the electrocatalytic composites ultimately define the cost‐efficiency of a H 2 O 2 e‐refinery. From this perspective, the scalable [ 43 ] drop‐casting route used for the PEDOT:PSS composite is a cost‐effective approach in comparison to the routes used for the other the state‐of‐the‐art catalysts.…”

Faradic Side Reactions at Novel Carbon Flow‐Through Electrodes for Desalination Studied in a Static Supercapacitor Architecture

“…H 2 O 2 ‐containing NaCl electrolyte was added into freshly prepared HRP and TMB buffer solution. [ 31 ] Then the absorbance of the solution was measured at a characteristic wavelength of 653 nm using a BioTek Synergy H1 Hybrid Multi‐Mode Reader. The concentration of H 2 O 2 in the solution could be determined by the predetermined calibration line with the known concentration of H 2 O 2 .…”

Environmental Chamber Characterization of an Ice Detection Sensor for Aviation Using Graphene and PEDOT:PSS

“…Its structure facilitates charge mobility, with humidity affecting charge transport modes. These findings are vital for stating the possibility of using it in flight conditions [17,18]. The principle of ice detection by the sensor involves using PEDOT:PSS, a polymeric mixed ionic-electronic conductor that displays a significant increase in electrical resistance during the phase transition from liquid water to solid ice.…”