A Polyaniline‐Based Redox‐Active Composite Gel Electrolyte with Photo‐Electric and Electrochromic Properties

Abstract

A polyaniline (PANI)‐based gel material with a redox‐active nature has demonstrated unique charge storage, photovoltaic, and electrochromic properties in the bulk of the gel. The specific capacitance in the volume of the gel was measured to be 428.9 mF g−1. Also, a hybrid device for concurrent solar energy harvesting and charge storage was made simply by placing a layer of the gel between a TiO2 coated electrode and a carbon electrode. The hybrid device showed 137 mV open circuit voltage under the light condition with only 10 mV voltage drop in 600 s after cessation of light. The electrochromic property of the composite gel was also studied in a device made of two transparent electrodes. The results showed 64 % transmittance at 564 nm and zero transmittance when the cell was biased at 0.0 V and 2.0 V, respectively. The photoelectric property and the redox‐active nature of the gel suggest existence of both ionic and electronic conductions through the electrolytes. The results are encouraging to further customize the composite gel for various applications, including supercapacitors, solar cells, photoactive supercapacitors, and electrochromic windows.

Effect of electrode materials on the photo-electric response of a hybrid solar cell-supercapacitor with a photoactive gel electrolyte

“…In this research, the porous carbon nanotube electrode was created using the method described in our earlier works [10]. To prepare the conductive ink solution, a mixture consisting of 30 milliliters of deionized (DI) water, 300 milligrams of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and 150 milligrams of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) was sonicated at room temperature for 30 minutes.…”

A Critical Review on the Voltage Requirement in Hybrid Cells with Solar Energy Harvesting and Energy Storage Capability

“…In a different approach (Figure 16b), Takshi's group used a layer of a photoactive gel between two electrodes to make a two‐terminal hybrid cell. Their device showed a photovoltage as high as 0.137 V [66a] . Huang et al.…”

Enhanced performance of ultra-thin polyaniline supercapacitor via aniline blue-WS SAMs with rich nucleation site

“…In a supercapacitor, the large active area plays a significant role in an efficient electrochemical storage device because electrochemical processes occur at the electrode/electrolyte interface [1]. Therefore, optimization of 1-dimensional (1D) structures has been focused on electrochemical capacitance [2][3][4][5]. PANI has been the most studied electrode material with its superior properties, such as high conductivity, electrochemical reduction-oxidation properties, high energy storage capacity, low cost, flexibility and stretchability, and the tendency * Authors to whom any correspondence should be addressed.…”