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
CHIPS for America Announces Up to $300M in Funding to Boost U.S. Semiconductor Packaging
11/21/2024 | U.S. Chamber of CommerceThe Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is entering negotiations to invest up to $300 million in advanced packaging research projects in Georgia, California, and Arizona to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies essential to the semiconductor industry.
Global Citizenship: What I’ve Learned About the American PCB Business
11/20/2024 | Tom Yang -- Column: Global CitizenshipNavigating the complexities of the American PCB business has been an eye-opening experience. During my time in America, I have become more familiar with the American PCB business and doing business here. If I may, and with your indulgence, I would like to share my humble impressions of the American PCB industry and the American way of doing business, which I find interesting and admirable.
Spirit Announces Purchase Agreement with Tex Tech Industries for Intended Sale of FMI
11/19/2024 | Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. announces a purchase agreement to sell Fiber Materials, Inc (FMI) business based in Biddeford, Maine, and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, to Tex-Tech Industries, Inc. for $165,000,000 in cash, subject to customary adjustment.
Ventec to Become Primary PCB Materials Supplier for Teltonika
11/13/2024 | VentecVentec International Group and high-tech design and manufacturing company Teltonika announce that Ventec is to become supply chain partner and primary supplier of PCB base materials to Teltonika, which is preparing to open a new PCB manufacturing plant at its base in Vilnius, Lithuania.
AIM to Present on Micro/MiniLED Applications at Hangjia Talk in Shenzhen, China
11/11/2024 | AIM SolderAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming Hangjia annual industry event focused on the future of the LED display sector.