High-performance supercapacitors using graphene/polyaniline composites deposited on kitchen sponge
Mahmoud Moussa1, Maher F El-Kady, Hao Wang
1Mawson Institute and School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes SA5095, Australia. Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62111, Egypt.
Nanotechnology
|January 27, 2015
Summary
We developed a low-cost supercapacitor using graphene (GnPs) and polyaniline (PANi) on a kitchen sponge scaffold. This composite electrode offers high capacitance and energy density for practical energy storage applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Supercapacitors are crucial for energy storage.
- Developing cost-effective and high-performance electrode materials is essential.
- Graphene platelets (GnPs) and polyaniline (PANi) are promising pseudocapacitive materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a novel supercapacitor electrode using a kitchen sponge scaffold.
- To enhance the electrochemical performance of polyaniline (PANi) nanorods with graphene platelets (GnPs).
- To investigate the energy density and power density of the fabricated supercapacitor.
Main Methods:
- Depositing graphene platelets (GnPs) and polyaniline (PANi) nanorods onto a commercial kitchen sponge scaffold.
- Fabricating a two-electrode supercapacitor using the GnPs/PANi composite electrode.
- Characterizing the electrochemical performance using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
- Evaluating energy and power densities at various scan rates.
Main Results:
- The GnPs/PANi composite electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 965.3 F g(-1) at 10 mV s(-1).
- The supercapacitor demonstrated a low equivalent series resistance of 0.35 Ω.
- An energy density of 34.5 Wh kg(-1) and a power density of 12.4 kW kg(-1) were achieved at 100 mV s(-1).
- A series array of three cells successfully powered an LED, demonstrating practical application.
Conclusions:
- The kitchen sponge-derived GnPs/PANi composite electrode offers a promising route for high-performance, low-cost supercapacitors.
- The synergistic effect between GnPs and PANi, along with the sponge's porous structure, enhances ion diffusion and capacitive performance.
- This fabrication method holds potential for scalable energy storage solutions.
