Iptycene substitution enhances the electrochemical activity and stability of polyanilines

Abstract

The electrochemical stability of polyaniline (PANI) films is a key issue for their application as electrode materials. This work demonstrates that a low fraction (<5%) of pentiptycene incorporation of the PANI conjugated backbone could significantly enhance the capacitive performance and charge–discharge cycling stability of PANI films, attributable to the clipping effect of pentiptycene cavities that restricts motional freedom of polymer chains and promotes interchain conductivity.