‘In-Situ’ Preparation of Carbonaceous Conductive Composite Materials Based on PEDOT and Biowaste for Flexible Pseudocapacitor Application

Abstract

Composite materials of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/activated carbon (AC) were prepared by ‘in-situ’ polymerization and subsequently deposited by spray-coating onto a flexible electrolyte prepared in our laboratories. Two activated carbons were tested: a commercial activated carbon and a lab-made activated carbon from brewer’s spent grain (BSG). The porous and spongy structure of the composite increased the specific surface area, which helps to enhance the energy storage density. This procedure to develop conductive composite materials using AC prepared from biowaste has the potential to be implemented for the preparation of polymer-based conductive inks for further applications as electrodes in pseudocapacitors.