Supramolecular Engineering of a Homo[2]catenane Filler Enables Polymer Composites with Exceptional High-Temperature Capacitive Energy Storage
- 1High Purity Chemistry Science and Technology Innovation Center of Jilin Province, Centre of Analysis and Measurement, Jilin University of Chemical Technology, 45 Chengde Street, Jilin 132022, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Chemical Waste Resource Utilization of Jilin Province, School of Resources and Environment Engineering, Jilin University of Chemical Technology, 45 Chengde Street, Jilin 132022, China
- 3Electronic Information School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Abstract
The escalating demand for high-performance dielectric energy storage materials in pulse-power systems and portable electronics calls for polymer film capacitors with high discharged energy density and breakdown strength. Conventional polymers, however, suffer severe performance degradation under concurrent thermal and electrical stress, and existing reinforcement strategies—involving inorganic nanofillers or chemical crosslinking—often compromise flexibility, introduce interfacial defects, or involve complex processing. Herein, we demonstrate that incorporating a rigid mechanically interlocked molecule, specifically an octacationic homo[2]catenane, into a polyimide matrix yields robust, crosslink-like networks through strong [π∙∙∙π] electrostatic interaction between electron-rich aromatic units of polyimide and electron-deficient homo[2]catenane. This supramolecular network simultaneously enhances breakdown strength via densified chain packing and suppresses conduction loss by forming deep electron traps derived from the high electron affinity of homo[2]catenane. The optimized PI–HC8+ composite achieves a high discharged energy density of 7.86 J/cm3 with an efficiency > 80% and sustains stable performance over 105 charge–discharge cycles at 150 °C. This research establishes mechanically interlocked molecules as a new class of functional fillers for high-performance polymer dielectrics, opening an unexplored avenue in the design of next-generation capacitive energy-storage materials.
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BibTeX
@article{su2026supramolecular,
title = {{Supramolecular Engineering of a Homo[2]catenane Filler Enables Polymer Composites with Exceptional High-Temperature Capacitive Energy Storage}},
author = {Qiao Su and Yan Sun and Jinfeng Li and Benteng Ma and Xiao Zhang and Haifeng Tian and Yuheng Ju and Gao Saiwen and Zhigang Liu and T B Zhang and Lin Wu},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31101691},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101691},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Supramolecular Engineering of a Homo[2]catenane Filler Enables Polymer Composites with Exceptional High-Temperature Capacitive Energy Storage
AU - Qiao Su
AU - Yan Sun
AU - Jinfeng Li
AU - Benteng Ma
AU - Xiao Zhang
AU - Haifeng Tian
AU - Yuheng Ju
AU - Gao Saiwen
AU - Zhigang Liu
AU - T B Zhang
AU - Lin Wu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/16
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31101691
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101691
AB - The escalating demand for high-performance dielectric energy storage materials in pulse-power systems and portable electronics calls for polymer film capacitors with high discharged energy density and breakdown strength. Conventional polymers, however, suffer severe performance degradation under concurrent thermal and electrical stress, and existing reinforcement strategies—involving inorganic nanofillers or chemical crosslinking—often compromise flexibility, introduce interfacial defects, or involve complex processing. Herein, we demonstrate that incorporating a rigid mechanically interlocked molecule, specifically an octacationic homo[2]catenane, into a polyimide matrix yields robust, crosslink-like networks through strong [π∙∙∙π] electrostatic interaction between electron-rich aromatic units of polyimide and electron-deficient homo[2]catenane. This supramolecular network simultaneously enhances breakdown strength via densified chain packing and suppresses conduction loss by forming deep electron traps derived from the high electron affinity of homo[2]catenane. The optimized PI–HC8+ composite achieves a high discharged energy density of 7.86 J/cm3 with an efficiency > 80% and sustains stable performance over 105 charge–discharge cycles at 150 °C. This research establishes mechanically interlocked molecules as a new class of functional fillers for high-performance polymer dielectrics, opening an unexplored avenue in the design of next-generation capacitive energy-storage materials.
SN - 1420-3049
SN - 1433-1373
ER -