Thienothiophene and single-wall carbon nanotube-based hybrid materials: design, photophysical properties and the construction of high-performance supercapacitors†

Abstract

Supercapacitors are widely accepted to be highly promising for energy storage due to their high capacitance and power density with super-long cycling stability. In addition, flexible and binder-free nanomaterials play a crucial role in supercapacitor devices and systems. Herein, we present thienothiophene (TT) and single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based two hybrid materials, possessing triphenylamine (TPA), thiophene (Th) and EDOT moieties, i.e.TT-Th-TPA-SWCNT and TT-EDOT-TPA-SWCNT, as highly efficient supercapacitors with flexible and free-standing properties. The nanohybrids were obtained by noncovalent modifications of SWCNTs without using any binding agents. Their hybrid electrodes displayed remarkable supercapacitor performances and energy storage properties with an excellent power density of 10 000 W kg⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹, a maximum energy density of 5.19 ± 0.13 Wh kg⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and a maximum specific capacitance of 158 F g⁻¹ at 1 mV s⁻¹. Regarding the GCD results, 10 000 cycle stability was achieved with a coulombic efficiency of over 95%. These findings highlight the potential of TT and SWCNT-based hybrid materials as advanced electrodes in energy storage applications.