PEDOT: PSS / β12 borophene nanocomposites as an inorganic-organic hybrid electrode for high performance supercapacitors

Advances In Borophene: Synthesis, Tunable Properties, and Energy Storage Applications

Monolayer boron nanosheet, commonly known as borophene, has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its unique structural, electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of the advancements in the synthetic strategies, tunable properties, and prospective applications of borophene, specifically focusing on its potential in energy storage devices. The review begins by discussing the various synthesis techniques for borophene, including molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and chemical methods, such as ultrasonic exfoliation and thermal decomposition of boron-containing precursors. The tunable properties of borophene, including its electronic, mechanical, and thermal characteristics, are extensively reviewed, with discussions on its bandgap engineering, plasmonic behavior, and thermal conductivity. Moreover, the potential applications of borophene in energy storage devices, particularly as anode materials in metal-ion batteries and supercapacitors, along with its prospects in other energy storage systems, such as sodium-oxygen batteries, are succinctly, discussed. Hence, this review provides valuable insights into the synthesis, properties, and applications of borophene, offering much-desired guidance for further research and development in this promising area of nanomaterials science.

Numerical Investigation and Response Surface Optimization of the Effective Modulus and Electrical and Thermal Conductivities of the Borophene Nanoplatelet-Reinforced PEDOT:PSS Nanocomposite for Energy Storage Application

Conductive organic nanocomposites have been widely employed to achieve a variety of purposes, particularly for energy storage applications, making it necessary to investigate transport properties such as electron and heat transport qualities based on geometric shapes and component materials. Due to the solid B-B bonds, unique atomic structure, and energy storage potential, borophene has received significant attention due to its reported ultrahigh mechanical modulus and metallic conduction. Herein, we investigated the effect and interaction of content materials (volume fraction) and geometric parameters such as the aspect ratio and orientation of borophene nanoplatelet (BNP) inclusions on the mechanical integrity and transport features (electrical and thermal conductivities) of a poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) electrode. The boundary condition is crucial in developing the predictive models for the optimized mechanical and transport properties of the composites. The effective modulus, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity of the BNP-reinforced PEDOT:PSS-based nanocomposite are evaluated using the periodic boundary condition, the representative volume element-based finite element homogenization, and statistical analysis response surface techniques. The optimal parameters for the PEDOT:PSS/BNP nanocomposite for energy storage application are predicted based on the desirability function to have a 13.96% volume fraction of BNPs, having an aspect ratio of 0.04 at 45° inclination. The desirability value achieved for the material hinges was 0.78 with a predicted Young's modulus of 6.73 GPa, the electrical conductivity was 633.85 S/cm, and the thermal conductivity was 1.96 W/m K at a generally high predictive performance of <0.03 error. The effective thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite was determined by considering Kapitsa nanoeffects, which exhibit an interfacial thermal resistance of 2.42 × 10^-9 m² K/W. Based on these improved findings, the enhanced PEDOT:PSS/BNP nanocomposite electrode would be a promising material for metal-ion batteries.