Multifunctional Antifreezing Organogel Polyelectrolyte for a Flexible Supercapacitor

Abstract

A multifunctional antifreezing mechanically tough conductive organogel polyelectrolyte was designed and prepared by simultaneously introducing poly(vinyl alcohol), tripentaerythritol, and H2O/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) binary solvent. Based on the outstanding freeze resistance of the H2O/DMSO binary solvent, this organogel showed good mechanical properties and long-term stability in the temperature range of −20 to 20 °C. Meanwhile, the as-prepared flexible supercapacitor exhibits superior electrode specific capacitance (140 F g–1), high ionic conductivity (18.9 mS cm–1), outstanding cycling stability (only 5% capacitance decay over 2000 cycles), and excellent durability (85% weight retention after storing for 10 days) even at a low temperature of −20 °C. In addition, the prepared organogel exhibits tunable optical performances in diverse polar solvents and could act as information storage installations for recording and wiping.

Wide-Temperature-Range Flexible Supercapacitors Using a Multipurpose Organogel Electrolyte

“…21−23 Among all gel electrolytes, PVA hydrogel is one of the most widely used materials because of its high water solubility, nontoxicity, pollution freeness, low price, and excellent chemical stability. 24,25 For example, Zhao et al employed a composite membrane comprising cotton and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the polymer electrolyte. This polymer gel demonstrated exceptional mechanical properties, such as a remarkable tensile strength of 3.55 MPa.…”

“…Interestingly, gel electrolytes have ionic conductivities higher than those of solid electrolytes. Another advantage of gel electrolytes is that they can easily fabricate flexible energy storage devices for wearable electronics. − Among all gel electrolytes, PVA hydrogel is one of the most widely used materials because of its high water solubility, nontoxicity, pollution freeness, low price, and excellent chemical stability. , For example, Zhao et al. employed a composite membrane comprising cotton and poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the polymer electrolyte.…”

A multifunctional organogel for constructing artificial light harvesting systems with excellent energy transfer efficiency

“…Moreover, hydrogels and organogels exhibit excellent ion transport 22,23 and adjustable mechanical properties owing to their unique three-dimensional mesh structure. 24 In addition, given the specificity of organogels, the desired properties, which include but are not limited to, self-repair, [25][26][27] antibacterial 28 and frost resistance, 29,30 can be achieved by adding functional units or modifying crosslinkers. Therefore, polymer organogels have been extensively researched as flexible new materials.…”