High-performance thienothiophene and single wall carbon nanotube-based supercapacitor as a free-standing and flexible hybrid energy storage material

Abstract

Long cycle life and high energy/power density are imperative for energy storage systems. Similarly, flexible and free-standing electrodes are important for supercapacitor applications. Herein, we report, for the first time, use of thienothiophene (TT) and a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based free-standing and flexible hybrid material (TT-TPA-SWCNT) as a high-performance supercapacitor. The synthesized TT derivative, TT-TPA, was directly attached to SWCNT through noncovalent interactions to obtain the TT-based SWCNT hybrid, TT-TPA-SWCNT, as a flexible film. The hybrid film was clarified by surface analysis methods of scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. TT-TPA-SWCNT was used as a flexible and free-standing electrode in a two-electrode system for supercapacitor and energy storage applications. It displayed a high energy storage capacity of 83.2 F g–1 at 5 mV s–1 scan rate, an excellent cyclic stability with 110% retention of its initial specific capacitance after 7000 cycles and a long power density ranged from 100 to 3000 W·kg–1, demonstrating that TT-TPA-SWCNT is a promising hybrid nanomaterial for high-performance energy storage applications.