Applications of Pyrolytic Polyaniline for Renewable Energy Storage.

A large number of studies have shown that nitrogen‐doped carbon can effectively improve the electrochemical performance of renewable energy storage devices. Polyaniline, as a carbon precursor rich in nitrogen heteroatoms, can be pyrolyzed to introduce a high content of structural nitrogen atoms into the carbon skeleton to fundamentally change the global properties of carbon materials including physical properties (e. g. surface polarity, electric conductivity, and wettability) and chemical properties (e. g. basicity and additional pseudocapacitance). Thus, nitrogen doping is extensively applied in the field of Li‐ion batteries, Li‐sulfur batteries, and supercapacitors to obtain excellent performance. Doping with different kinds of nitrogen configurations (e. g. pyridinic N, pyrrolic N, and graphitic N) shows respective mechanisms for the electrode materials of different energy storage devices. These mechanisms and applications of pyrolytic polyaniline in Li‐ion batteries, Li‐sulfur batteries, and supercapacitors are illustrated in detail here. Energy matters: Some typical applications of pyrolytic polyaniline are emphasized to give a comprehensive understanding for the distinct roles and mechanisms of nitrogen doping. Remarkable electrochemical performance is realized in the renewable energy storage devices, owing to the synergetic effect of nitrogen doping and/or other active materials. The application of pyrolytic polyaniline is wide and promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]