Charge Storage in Polymer Acid-Doped Polyaniline-Based Layer-by-Layer Electrodes

Polymeric electrodes that can achieve high doping levels and store charge reversibly are desired for electrochemical energy storage because they can potentially achieve high specific capacities and energies. One such candidate is the polyaniline:poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PANI:PAAMPSA) complex, a water-processable complex obtained via template polymerization that is known to reversibly achieve high doping levels at potentials of up to 4.5 V versus Li/Li+. Here, for the first time, PANI:PAAMPSA is successfully incorporated into layer-by-layer (LbL) electrodes. This processing technique is chosen for its ability to blend species on a molecular level and its ability to conformally coat a substrate. Three different polyaniline-based LbL electrodes comprised of PANI/PAAMPSA, PANI/PANI:PAAMPSA, and linear poly(ethylenimine)/PANI:PAAMPSA are compared in terms of film growth, charge storage, and reversibility. We found that the reversibility of PANI:PAAMPSA is retained within the LbL electrodes and that the PANI/PANI:PAAMPSA electrode exhibits the best performance in terms of capacity and cycle life. These results provide general guidelines for the assembly of PANI:PAAMPSA in LbL films and also demonstrate their potential as electrochemically active components in electrodes.