Swelling-Induced Structural Transformation Strategy: Controllable Synthesis of 2D Porous Polypyrrole/MXene Heterostructures with Tunable Pore Structures

Abstract

2D porous polymers have received great attention in many fields. Particularly, 2D porous polymers are considered as potential electrode materials for supercapacitors. However, the controllable synthesis of 2D porous polymers is not only faced with the difficulty in precisely controlling the reaction dynamics but is also challenged by the complex pore structure fabrication. In this paper, a swelling-induced structural transformation strategy for the construction of 2D porous polypyrrole/MXene heterostructures (2D porous PPy/MXene) is proposed. The obtained 2D porous PPy/MXene samples own similar chemical compositions with adjusted pore structures (cylindrical mesostructure, spherical mesostructure, and spherical macrostructure), high specific surface areas (≈129–188 m2 g−1), and tunable pore sizes (≈7.8–52 nm). Due to the fast transport and diffusion of electrolytes and more electrode/electrolyte interface offered by cylindrical mesopores with high specific surface areas, the 2D porous PPy/MXene shows superior supercapacitor performances. This work sheds light on the effect of pore structures on supercapacitor performances of 2D porous polymers, and also provides clues for the fabrication of 2D porous polymers with tailorable pore structures as high-performance energy storage materials.