US 12258441 B1Patent grantUnited States

Selenium Polymer for Energy-Storage Electrodes

Official patent title

Fabrication of a conjugated polymer

Arabic title: تصنيع بوليمر مترافق

Invention

Problem

Supercapacitor electrodes need high capacitance, low resistance, stability, and reasonable cost, while conventional electrode-production methods may be inefficient, expensive, or environmentally burdensome.

Why it matters

New redox-active conjugated polymers could broaden the electrode-material options available for high-power energy storage, provided their electrochemical performance is verified.

Approach

The method alkylates carbazole, brominates the intermediate, and couples the resulting N-alkyldibromocarbazole with a distanyl-biselenophene using a metal catalyst. The disclosure also describes an electrode layer combining the conjugated polymer with graphene.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include supercapacitor researchers, electrochemical-materials laboratories, conductive-polymer producers, electrode developers, and energy-storage manufacturers.

Potential value

The disclosure provides a defined multi-step route to a selenium-containing carbazole conjugated polymer and connects that product to a graphene-containing electrode concept.

Background

Growing markets for portable electronics and hybrid vehicles increase demand for energy-storage devices with strong power and energy performance. Supercapacitors occupy a position between batteries and dielectric capacitors and depend heavily on electrode properties. Suitable electrodes require capacitance, low resistance, surface area, chemical stability, and thermal stability while controlling cost and toxicity. The publication identifies limitations in conventional printed-electrode production and proposes a new conjugated polymer for use in a polymer-and-graphene electrode layer.

Technology overview

The synthesis begins by alkylating 9H-carbazole with 1-bromohexane, then brominating the alkylated product to obtain an N-hexyldibromocarbazole. This intermediate reacts with a distanyl-biselenophene in the presence of a palladium catalyst. Disclosed embodiments combine the monomers with an organic solvent, fluoride salt, catalyst, and copper(I) iodide, followed by stirring under argon at 40–80 °C for 15–21 hours to form the conjugated polymer.

Potential applications

Candidate redox-active material for experimental supercapacitor electrodes.
Polymer-and-graphene composite layers for electrochemical energy-storage research.
Conjugated-polymer studies involving carbazole and biselenophene repeat units.
Materials-development programs for conductive electrode coatings.

Evidence-supported advantages

The synthesis specifies the alkylation, bromination, and catalytic coupling sequence.
Reaction-temperature, time, atmosphere, and monomer-ratio ranges are disclosed.
The polymer combines carbazole and biselenophene units in one conjugated backbone.
The publication connects the polymer to a graphene-containing electrode layer.

Development stage

Patent publication; development stage not independently verified. Electrochemical supercapacitor performance was not provided in the supplied evidence.

Commercial opportunity

The chemistry may interest conductive-polymer, electrode, and supercapacitor developers. Licensing readiness depends on measured capacitance, resistance, energy and power density, cycle life, electrode adhesion, scalable yield, batch consistency, and safe, economical handling of selenium-, tin-, palladium-, and solvent-containing process streams.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C08G61/12Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
H01G11/32Capacitors; electrolytic capacitors, rectifiers, detectors, switching devices and light- or temperature-sensitive devices

CPC

C08G61/124Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
H01G11/32Capacitors; electrolytic capacitors, rectifiers, detectors, switching devices and light- or temperature-sensitive devices
C08G61/126Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
H01G11/48Capacitors; electrolytic capacitors, rectifiers, detectors, switching devices and light- or temperature-sensitive devices
C08G2261/1412Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C08G2261/413Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C08G2261/124Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C08G2261/3225Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C08G2261/3241Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C08G2261/516Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds

Inventors

First inventorTarek Ahmed Yousef
InventorSaad Shaaban
InventorAhmed Abdel Nazeer Soliman
InventorMohamed Alaa Mohamed

Keywords

conjugated polymer
carbazole
biselenophene
supercapacitor
electrode
graphene
palladium coupling
energy storage

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.