Making Rusty Polymers for Energy Storage
April 2, 2018 | Washington University in St. LouisEstimated reading time: 1 minute
It’s called a nanoflower, but if you could brush your cheek against its microscopic petals, you would find them cool, hard and … rusty.
Image caption: This colored image depicts a poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoflower synthesized via hydrolysis-assisted vapor-phase polymerization using ethanol as a solvent. The blue color represents PEDOT, and the red color represents iron oxide species that serve as a scaffold and assist in the growth of PEDOT nanostructures in situ during synthesis. (Image: D’Arcy lab/Washington University)
Common rust forms the inner skeleton of these lovely and intricate nanostructures, while their outer layer is a kind of plastic.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a straightforward way to make this type of conducting polymer with high surface area that is likely to be useful for energy transfer and storage applications.
“Rust will always pose a challenge in Earth’s humid and oxygenated atmosphere,” said Julio M. D’Arcy, assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences and a member of the university’s Institute of Materials Science and Engineering. “Corrosion makes structures fragile and decreases the ability of components to function properly. But in our lab, we’ve learned how to control the growth of rust so that it can serve an important purpose.”
Conducting polymers rely on a combination of organic and inorganic materials — usually a core of metal and a shell of plastic — made in a single batch.
D’Arcy and his team reported on a new technique that combines vapor-phase synthesis with solution-based hydrolysis to build three-dimensional nanoflowers, two-dimensional nanoplates and one-dimensional nanofibers.
This work advances the understanding of the chemical mechanisms involved with depositing the rust and forming the polymer, which will allow scientists to more easily manipulate and engineer the structures of the materials they make.
“As chemists, my students and I are fascinated by conducting polymers because we can control their structure during synthesis,” D’Arcy said. “How much electricity the polymers conduct is a function of their chemical pathway and their number of charge carriers, both of which can be optimized during synthesis.”
As for the nanoflowers, D’Arcy said he will be sowing some new seeds soon. There are 16 stable phases of rust, all with different morphologies at the nanoscale — enough for a whole rusted garden.
Suggested Items
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks the Beginning of a New Era for Newccess Industrial; The Construction of the MINGXIN Building
04/12/2024 | Newccess IndustrialOn a clear and sunny day in March, the groundbreaking ceremony for the MINGXIN Building took place in Shenzhen, China. This moment marked the official commencement of construction for a project that will reshape the semiconductor materials industry.
The Need for a Holistic Global Sustainability Standard
04/10/2024 | Michael Ford, Aegis SoftwareNo one can deny that the resources of our fragile planet are finite. The environment seems like a third party, subject to constant degradation. We’re acutely aware of the effects of pollution on our climate, and despite our “throw-away” culture, recycling and recovery of materials has remained relatively expensive, even as we use more energy just to survive.
iNEMI Publishes Four Roadmap Topics
04/04/2024 | iNEMIThe International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) announces the availability of the first roadmap topics in the new iNEMI Roadmap format. Printed circuit boards, sustainable electronics, smart manufacturing, and mmWave materials and test are now available online.
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
Checking In With ICAPE Group
04/03/2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007ICAPE Group’s field application engineer Erik Pederson drills down on sustainability, supply chain resiliency, and what value engineering really looks like in this exclusive interview. Founded in 1999, European-based ICAPE Group provides 21 million printed circuit boards and over six million technical parts to manufacturers every month. With 30 PCB manufacturing partners globally and 50 partners providing a wide array of technical parts, ICAPE Group has operations in China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, Europe, Mexico, and the United States. The company also focuses on the value proposition for its customers.