PEDOT:PSS/regenerated cellulose composite microelectrode for high-performance micro-supercapacitor

Ecofriendly electronic and energy storage devices are critical for addressing the issues regarding the limited energy resources and environmental pollution. Conductive micropatterns on biodegradable substrates are key components for the development of green energy storage devices. In this study, we report a facile strategy for constructing highly conductive and flexible poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) micropatterns on regenerated cellulose (RC) substrates via a simple vacuum-assisted filtration with a 3D printed shadow mask and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) post-treatment. The shadow mask was effectively used in a vacuum filtration process to create various PEDOT:PSS micropatterns on RC substrates (PEDOT:PSS/RCs). The RC substrates present the advantages of being both synthetic and natural polymers such as high uniformity, good solution-processability, mechanical property, and biodegradability. The PEDOT:PSS patterns on the RC substrates show a sheet resistance of 4.2 Ω/cm2, an electrical conductivity of 327 S/cm, good adhesion stability and excellent bending durability. Furthermore, the PEDOT:PSS micropatterns on the RC substrates were successfully used for fabricating a solid-state micro-supercapacitor (MSC) device. The MSC sandwich structure based on PEDOT:PSS/RCs has a good specific capacitance of 65.55 mF/cm2 and an excellent cycling stability over 4000 cycles.