Harnessing energy from micropollutants electrocatalysis in a high-performance supercapacitor based on PEDOT nanotubes

Abstract Nitrophenols (NPh) are hazardous pollutants with potentially harmful health effects. Conducting polymers appear as attractive candidates to detect and degrade these compounds due to their electrocatalytic activity. However, using electrocatalytic processes to degrade the micropollutants and harnessing the energy used in this process is a new standpoint. To obtain this cooperative effect, we explored the multifunctionality of PEDOT nanotubes in energy storage and electrocatalysis of NPh. The energy involved in degradation was harnessed in a high-performance supercapacitor, by increasing the specific capacitance in almost 50% in some configurations. The presence of NPh during the charge and discharge cycles also increased the stability and durability of the PEDOT nanotubes by forming poly(aminophenols). The extension of NPh degradation was evaluated by UV–vis spectroscopy and the modified electrodes were characterized by electrochemical, vibrational spectroscopic and scanning electron microscopy techniques. By this way, this contribution presents an interesting perspective gathering the degradation of micropollutants and the energy storage devices, which are certainly two of the biggest concerns of the scientific community nowadays.