Figure 1 provides a conceptual illustration of supercapacitor energy storage using MPC polymer vs. polypyrrole. Both polymers were electrodeposited onto a Si substrate with Cr/Au coating from a 0.1 M solution of the corresponding monomer in 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF6) in acetonitrile. Cyclic voltammetry measurements conducted in 0.1 M TBAPF6 electrolyte in acetonitrile indicate comparable charge storage abilities for MPC polymer and polypyrrole, with capacitances of 0.98 mF/cm2 and 1.75 mF/cm2, respectively, for the planar electrodes. Figure 3 compares the solubility of MPC polymer and polypyrrole in Tris acetate-EDTA buffer solution (pH 8.2) at 37 oC. Within one hour, most of the MPC polymer film had dissolved, compared to the polypyrrole electrode which remained unchanged after four hours in the buffer solution. These results demonstrate that conducting polymer derivatives can function as dissolvable energy storage materials – an important first step in realizing fully biodegradable electrochemical energy storage materials. Detailed characterization of MPC polymer and its capacitive energy storage performance will be presented, including FT-IR spectroscopy characterization, capacitive charge-discharge cycle life measurements, and impedance characterization.
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