<p>In this study we investigate the reversibility of the reduction process of three TEMPO derivatives - TEMPOL, 4-cyano-TEMPO, and 4-oxo-TEMPO. The [C₂mim][BF₄] and [C₄mpyr][OTf] ionic liquids (ILs) were used to...</p>

Facile charge transport by a hydrophilic organic radical-substituted polymer and the 3D current collection by a self-assembled mesh of single-walled carbon nanotube bundles lead to the operation of an ultrahigh-output rechargeable electrode. Exceptionally large current density beyond 1 A cm−2 and high areal capacity around 3 mAh cm−2 are achieved, which are 101−2 times larger than those of the previously reported so-called “ultrafast electrodes.” A sub-millimeter-thick, flexible, highly safe organic redox polymer-based rechargeable device with an aqueous sodium chloride electrolyte is fabricated to demonstrate the superior performance.

Charge transport processes in nonconjugated redox-active polymers with electrolytes were studied using a diffusion-cooperative model. For the first time, we quantitatively rationalized that the limited Brownian motion of the redox centers bound to the polymers resulted in the 103-4-fold decline of the bimolecular and heterogeneous charge transfer rate constants, which had been unexplained for half a century. As a next-generation design, a redox-active supramolecular system with high physical mobility was proposed to achieve the rate constant as high as in free solution system (&gt
107 M-1 s-1) and populated site density (&gt
1 mol/L).

Robust radical-substituted polymers with ideal redox capability were used as "command surfaces" for liquid crystal orientation. The alignment of the smectic liquid crystal electrolytes with low-dimensional ion conduction pathways was reversible and readily switched hi response to the redox states of the polymers. In one example, a charge storage device with a cooperative redox effect was fabricated. The bulk ionic conductivity of the cell was significantly decreased only after the electrode was fully charged, due to the anisotropic ionic conductivity of the electrolytes (ratio &gt;10(3)). The switching enabled both a rapid cell response and long charge retention. Such a cooperative Command surface of-self-assembled structures Will give rise to new highly energy efficient supramolecular-based devices including batteries, charge carriers, and actuators.

Totally organic polymer-based, submillimeter-thick, bendable rechargeable devices were fabricated using hydrophilic polymers as electrode-active materials and brine as the electrolyte. The rapid and reversible electrochemical reactions of the polymers enabled quick charging within minutes, long life, and a moderate operation voltage of more than 1V. Quantitative discharge was achieved even when the devices were in a bent state with a radius of curvature of 1 mm.

Next-generation, power-efficient organic lighting systems, which ideally would be low-cost and mass-producible, are urgently needed because more than 20% of total electricity use goes to lighting. This study presents polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) made using mass-producible nanoimprinted corrugated substrates, which effectively improve light extraction efficiency. The corrugated substrates are fabricated using roll-to-roll methods, using self-assembled block copolymers on glass and film substrates (glass: 0.45 m x 0.55 m, film: 0.6 m wide). Using the glass-type corrugated substrates, two PLECs based on (poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]) and (super-yellow poly(p-phenylene vinylene)) (SY-PPV) are fabricated by solution-based spin-coating methods, which can in practice be replaced by roll-to-roll methods. The corrugated PLECs with SY-PPV show high brightness of 1740 cd cm(-2) and 2.1 times greater efficiency without changing the original spectrum or angular dependence. This successful combination of corrugated substrates and PLECs is one of the best examples of a promising cost-effective, high-performance lighting technology.

Electrochromic (EC) polymers such as polyviologens have been attracting considerable attention as wet-processable electrodes for EC displays, thanks to their brilliant color change accompanied with reversible redox reactions. To establish wider usage, achieving multicolor and high-resolution characteristics is indispensable. In this paper, we demonstrated that the introduction of substituents such as methyl groups into bipyridine units changed the stereostructure of the cation radicals, and thus shifted the color (e.g., ordinary purple to blue). Also, by relaxing excessive pi-stacking between the viologen moieties, the response rate was improved by a factor of more than 10. The controlled charge transport throughout the polyviologen layer gave rise to the fabrication of EC displays which are potentially suitable for the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate as the counter electrodes with submillimeter pixels. The findings can be versatilely used for the new design of polyviologens with enhanced electrochemical properties and high-resolution, multicolor EC displays.

Two bis(acetylide)-functionalized platinum(II) polymers containing ferrocenyl pendant ligands, trans[(-Pt(PBu3n)(2)-C CRC C-)(n) P1 (R = 9-ferrocenylmethylene-2,7-diethynylfluorene) and P2 (R = ferrocenylmethylene-2,5-diethynylbenzene), were prepared in good yields and were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GPC. Electrochemical characteristics with copolymers P1 and P2 as the cathode active materials for rechargeable lithium batteries showed chemical and electrochemical reversibility. The thin layer polymer electrodes of P1 and P2 exhibited reversible redox peaks at the potentials of 0.54 and 0.64 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The P1 or P2/carbon composites are also used as cathode-active materials to enhance the conductivity and durability. The electrodes exhibited good cycle life of over 50 charging/discharging cycles and no reversible n-type redox abilities seemed to be available. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two new organometallic copolymers (PVFVM1 and PVFVM1-1) bearing different molar ratios of ferrocene and triphenylamine pendants were successfully designed and synthesized as cathode active materials for organic-battery applications. Their structural and thermal characteristics were determined by H-1 NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Cyclic voltammograms of the as-prepared polymers show that the electrochemical reactions of the ferrocene and triphenylamine moieties are reversible after the first cycle. A composite electrode based on copolymer PVFVM1 exhibits an initial specific discharge capacity of 102 mAhg(-1), which corresponds to 98% of its theoretical capacity (104 mAhg(-1)). The cycle endurances for both polymers have been evaluated for over 50 cycles. Our results show that both copolymers are good candidates as a new class of cathode active materials and charge-storage materials for rechargeable batteries.

The ionic conductivity of a liquid crystal electrolyte was switched along with redox reactions of polyviologen. The surface charge of the polymer determined the alignment and the bulk conductivity of the electrolyte. The cooperative switching firstly enabled the suppression of self-discharging and quick-response, giving rise to facile and persistent charge storage.

A nitroxide radical-substituted polyether, poly(TEMPO-substituted glycidyl ether) (PTGE), was synthesized using a potassium tert-butoxide/18-crown-6 initiator. The presence of 18-crown-6 effected significant improvement in the reactivity of the chain end, thus allowing the polymerization to proceed at moderate temperatures to suppress the deactivation of the pendant nitroxide group. A high molecular-weight polyether with a theoretical radical concentration was first obtained in high yield. Charging and discharging cyclability was much improved by cross-linking, which helped the electrode-active material stay on a current collector during the electrolysis. The polymer/vapor-grown carbon nanofiber composite electrode exhibited a redox capacity comparable to the formula weight-based theoretical density over 10(3) cycles and fast charging/discharging capability up to a rate of 60C which corresponded to full charging and discharging in 60s. The redox capacity was almost maintained for a composite layer with a remarkably high polymer ratio of 90%, which demonstrated the presence of effective percolation network of the carbon nanofiber due likely to the affinity of the polyether to the carbon material.

A crosslinked poly(4-glycidyloxy TEMPO) was synthesized via anionic ring-opening copolymerization of 4-glycidyloxy TEMPO and a diglycidyl ether using a pentaerythritol/phosphazene base initiator. A fast and reversible charge storage capability was established for the polyether/SWCNT composite layer with a large layer thickness of several tens of micrometres, despite the low SWCNT content of 10% which was much closer to the percolation limit than the amount required for the previously reported TEMPO-substituted polymethacrylate.