Preparation and electrochemical performance of Schiff base polymers (DATP) from 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone and terephthalaldehyde

Abstract

This study proposes a simple method for preparation Schiff base polymers (DATP) and its metal complexes (M-DATPs, M = Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺) as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The condensation reaction involves mixing 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone, terephthalaldehyde, and metal chlorides in trifluoroacetic acid at room temperature. M-DATPs possess larger surface area, unique morphology, and suitable conductivity in comparison with DATP. The electrochemical performance of the materials was evaluated in a 6 mol L⁻¹ KOH electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). And Cu-DATPs were used as the positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode to assemble the supercapacitor Cu-DATPs//AC, which was investigated through the dual-electrode testing. The results indicate that M-DATPs possess excellence electrochemical performance, the specific capacitance of sample Cu-DATPs get 853.87 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹. And the galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) research illustrate that sample Cu-DATPs have good cycling stability. In addition, the energy density of Cu-DATPs//AC is 64.055 Wh kg⁻¹, and the power density is 288.46 W kg⁻¹. This study provides a novel strategy for the synthesis of conjugated Schiff base polymers and metal ion coordination to prepare electrode materials with excellent electrochemical performance.