Enhancement of double-layer capacitance behavior and its electrical conductivity in layered poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-based nanocomposites

Abstract

In this letter, we report on the enhanced double-layer capacitance of a layered poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene) PEDOT-MoO₃ nanocomposite, which has been synthesized by a novel microwave irradiation method. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows the changes in electron density and the shift in binding energy suggesting charge transfer from sulfur atoms upon PEDOT intercalation between MoO₃ layers. The room-temperature conductivity for the PEDOT-MoO₃ composite is found to be 1.82×10⁻¹ S cm⁻¹, which is four orders of magnitude higher than that of the pristine oxide (3.78×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹). The enhanced double-layer capacitance of the PEDOT-MoO₃ nanocomposite (~300 F g⁻¹) compared to that (~40 mF g⁻¹) of pristine MoO₃ is attributed to higher electronic conductivity, enhanced bidimensionality, and increase in surface area of the nanocomposite.