Ultrafast, high-energy supercapacitors with open-shell polymer-carbon-based compound composites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12448481-B2
Application number	US-202418608450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2024
Priority date	Jun 16, 2021
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of the presently disclosed technology provide a synergistic combination of a conjugated open-shell donor-acceptor polymer with a carbon-based compound (e.g., reduced graphene oxide) to produce a composite electrode material which demonstrates state-of-the-art capacitance and potential window, with excellent kinetics and cycle life. The conjugated open-shell donor-acceptor polymer may comprise a plurality of alternating electron-rich monomers (i.e., donors) and electron-deficient monomers (i.e., acceptors) bonded together via a conjugated backbone. The conjugated backbone may comprise a connection of π-orbitals of the plurality of monomers in alternating single and double bonds that facilitates unpaired electron delocalization—thereby stabilizing charge for the polymer. The carbon-based compound of the composite electrode material may provide porous, conductive scaffolds for the composite electrode material, resulting in electrodes scalable to microns-thick films with fast kinetics.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A composite electrode material comprising:
an open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprising a plurality of alternating electron-rich and electron-deficient monomers bonded together via a conjugated backbone, wherein:
the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer includes unpaired electrons when the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer is in a ground state, and
the conjugated backbone comprises a connection of π-orbitals of the plurality of monomers in alternating single bonds and double-bonds that facilitates delocalization of the unpaired electrons; and

a carbon-based compound incorporated into the composite as a conductive matrix.

2. The composite electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprises alternating bithiophene donors and thiophene substituted thiadiazoloquinoxaline acceptors.

3. The composite electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprises a side chain-less open-shell donor-acceptor polymer.

4. The composite electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the carbon-based compound comprises reduced graphene oxide (rGO).

5. The composite electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the composite electrode material operates stably at negative voltages with respect to an Ag/Ag+ reference electrode.

6. The composite electrode material of claim 1 , wherein in the carbon-based compound forms porous, conductive scaffolds for the composite electrode material.

7. A supercapacitor comprising:
an anode comprising a composite material, the composite material comprising:
an open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprising a plurality of alternating electron-rich and electron-deficient monomers bonded together via a conjugated backbone, wherein:
the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer includes unpaired electrons when the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer is in a ground state, and
the conjugated backbone comprises a connection of π-orbitals of the plurality of monomers in alternating single bonds and double bonds that facilitates delocalization of the unpaired electrons; and

a carbon-based compound incorporated into the composite as a conductive matrix.

8. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprises alternating bithiophene donors and thiophene substituted thiadiazoloquinoxaline acceptors.

9. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein the open-shell donor-acceptor polymer comprises a side chain-less open-shell donor-acceptor polymer.

10. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein the carbon-based compound comprises rGO.

11. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein the supercapacitor operates at frequencies of 120 hertz (Hz) and above.

12. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein the supercapacitor operates stably over a 3 V range.

13. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , incorporated into a wireless device, wherein the supercapacitor powers the wireless device.

14. The supercapacitor of claim 7 , wherein in the carbon-based compound forms porous, conductive scaffolds for the composite material.

Assignees

• Univ California
• The Univ Of Southern Mississippi

Inventors

• Ng Tse Nga
• Yao Lulu
• Azoulay Jason

Classifications

• H01B1/121

  Charge-transfer complexes · CPC title

• C08G2261/124

  alternating · CPC title

• C08G2261/514

  Electron transport · CPC title

• C08G2261/44

  Electrochemical polymerisation, i.e. oxidative or reductive coupling · CPC title

• C08G2261/3246

  containing nitrogen and sulfur as heteroatoms · CPC title