Bamboo fiber-based self-supported flexible electrodes with <i>in-situ</i> deposited polypyrrole for enhanced electrochemical performance

Abstract With currently enormous and growing demand for portable electronic devices, flexible electrodes have garnered significant research attention. Cellulose fibers with low-cost, environmentally friendly, renewable and flexible properties have become a promising trend for flexible substrates. Exploring the influence of different plant fibers on various properties of electrodes is of positive significance to the selection of raw materials for flexible electrodes. However, the existing work mainly utilized plant fibers as support material, with limited exploration of their effects on the electrical and electrochemical properties of flexible electrodes. Herein, we successfully fabricated self-supporting polypyrrole (PPy) cellulose-based flexible electrodes through in situ polymerization of pyrrole on the surface of different types of plant fibers with liquid phase redox combined with wet papermaking process. Among all tested plant fibers, the bamboo fiber-based self-supporting flexible electrode with a PPy loading of 30 g m −2 exhibited excellent conductivity (4.02 S cm −1 ) and outstanding electrochemical performance, delivering an areal capacitance of 1,490 mF cm −2 at 5 mA cm −2 , benefiting from bamboo fiber’s unique morphology. The development of high performance flexible electrode with bamboo fiber not only offers a green and cost-effective approach but also expands the application potential of plant fibers in flexible electronic devices.