Efficient template free polymerization of continuously porous hybrid conducting polymers for highly stable flexible micro pseudocapacitors

Abstract

Developing high-performance microscale-energy storage devices is essential for next-generation smart electronics. Hybrid conducting polymers (HCPs) offer a promising solution to address the limitations of traditional conducting polymers, with poor cycling and mechanical stability. Here, we present a novel, template-free bicontinuous microemulsion (BME)-based method of fabricating highly cross-linked, continuously porous PPy-CoO electrodes for micro-pseudocapacitors (MPCs). The bicontinuous structure endows HCPs with tunable functionalities, mechanical flexibility, and efficient ion transport. The synergy between PPy's fast charge transfer and CoO's high charge-storage capacity boosts the electrochemical performance of device, with excellent areal capacitance of 30.58 mF cm−2, energy density of 4.22 µWh cm−2, and power density of 75.97 µW cm−2 at 0.2 mA cm−2. The device retains 106% capacitance under 180° bending and 83% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles in a bent (180°) position. This study demonstrates the BME polymerization approach as a scalable, cost-effective, and versatile strategy for producing multifunctional 3D HCP composites for functional devices.