6–10 Jul 2026
University of the Western Cape
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
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Rational Interface Engineering of 1D Earthworm-like Polypyrrole Anchored on 3D Hierarchical BiOCl Marigold Flower-like Hybrid Platform for Advanced Energy Storage Applications

7 Jul 2026, 17:20
1h 20m
Great Hall (University of the Western Cape)

Great Hall

University of the Western Cape

Poster Presentation Track A - Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Poster Session 1

Speaker

Yugesh Singh Thakur (Department of Physics, University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, ZA 9300, South Africa)

Description

Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) is a promising electrode material for energy storage due to its layered structure and redox activity; however, its low intrinsic electrical conductivity and pronounced potential drop limit practical performance. In this work, a conducting polymer–based modification strategy is anticipated, in which polypyrrole (PPy) is incorporated into BiOCl to enhance charge-transfer kinetics and suppress the potential (IR) drop during electrochemical operation. 3D porous PPy–BiOCl hybrid electrodes with varying PPy contents (5, 7, and 9 wt.%) were prepared via a simple physical blending technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis confirms a uniformly distributed 3D porous architecture with a large accessible surface area, facilitating efficient ion transport and electrochemical activity. The BP1 electrode (5 wt.% PPy) supported on nickel foam exhibited pronounced redox peaks in 6 M KOH, indicating a dominant battery-type faradaic charge-storage mechanism. Due to enhanced electronic conductivity and an oxygen-vacancy-enriched hybrid structure, the BP1 electrode exhibited a lower potential drop. It delivered a high specific capacity of 659 C.g⁻¹ at 1.0 A.g⁻¹. A BP1//BP1 symmetric supercapacitor achieved an energy density of 24.0 Wh.kg⁻¹ at a power density of 750.0 W.kg⁻¹. Furthermore, two symmetric devices connected in series successfully powered green and red light-emitting diodes, demonstrating the practical viability of PPy-modified BiOCl hybrid electrodes.

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Author

Yugesh Singh Thakur (Department of Physics, University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, ZA 9300, South Africa)

Co-authors

Prof. Hendrik C. Swart (Department of Physics, University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, ZA 9300, South Africa) Prof. Jacobus J. Terblans (Department of Physics, University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, ZA 9300, South Africa)

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