High-Performance Wearable Supercapacitors with the Enhanced Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Poly(o-phenylenediamine)/Mn 3O4 Composite

Abstract

The development of flexible and wearable supercapacitors (SCs) has recently garnered a lot of attention owing to their ease of fabrication, low cost, flexible integration into textiles, long cycle life, fast charging and discharging, high efficiency and ability to bridge the energy and power gap between conventional capacitors and batteries. The present study focuses on the functionalization of Poly(o-phenylenediamine) with green-synthesized manganese oxide nanoparticles. They were characterized using spectroscopic techniques such as UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction studies, and Scanning Electron Microscopy to confirm the incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. Thermal analysis was performed using Thermogravimetry Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry to analyse the thermal stability. The electrochemical performance of these materials was studied using cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, and impedance spectroscopy techniques. A large specific capacitance of 213 Fg-1 was achieved at a current density of 1 Ag-1 for the polymer nanocomposite and a capacitance retention of 89% even after 1000 cycles. These materials also exhibited enhanced antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity, thereby enabling them to function as wearable supercapacitor devices.