A Multifunctional Organogel Polyelectrolyte for Flexible Supercapacitors

A multifunctional organogel polyelectrolyte (PVA/PTA/CoCl2) is developed comprising the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), terephthalic acid (PTA), and cobalt chloride (CoCl2). PVA and PTA were cross-linked by the esterification reaction at 120 °C in DMSO and could take shape a steady polymer gel, which accomplished a combination of high tensile, mighty mechanical obdurability, good self-healing, great ionic conductivity, and robust self-adhesiveness. Furthermore, activated carbon based supercapacitor with PVA/PTA/CoCl2 organogel electrolytes delivers high specific capacitance at high scan rates, and CV curves are close to ideal, while exhibiting excellent stability and durability of physical deformation after bending-release cycling, respectively.