Carbon nanotube/Prussian blue thin films as cathodes for flexible, transparent and ITO-free potassium secondary battery

Thin films of either unpurified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) or iron-filled multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were deposited through the liquid-liquid interfacial route over plastic substrates, yielding transparent, flexible and ITO-free electrodes. The iron species presented in both electrodes (inside of the MWCNT cavities or outside of the SWCNT bundles, related to the catalyst remaining of the growth process) were employed as reactant to the electrosynthesis of Prussian blue (PB), yielding carbon nanotubes/Prussian blue nanocomposite thin films, which were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements. The nanocomposite films were employed as cathodes for flexible, transparent and ITO-free potassium batteries, showing reversible charge/discharge behavior and specific capacitance of 8.3 mA h cm−3 and 2.7 mA h cm−3 for SWCNT/PB and MWCNT/PB, respectively.

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