Cobalt Oxide Nanograins and Silver Nanoparticles Decorated Fibrous Polyaniline Nanocomposite as Battery-Type...

In this study, silver (Ag) and cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) decorated polyaniline (PANI) fibers were prepared by the combination of in-situ aniline oxidative polymerization and the hydrothermal methodology. The morphology of the prepared Ag/Co₃O₄@PANI ternary nanocomposite was studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, while the structural studies were carried out by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphological characterization revealed fibrous shaped PANI, coated with Ag and Co₃O₄ nanograins, while the structural studies revealed high purity, good crystallinity, and slight interactions among the constituents of the Ag/Co₃O₄@PANI ternary nanocomposite. The electrochemical performance studies revealed the enhanced performance of the Ag/Co₃O₄@PANI nanocomposite due to the synergistic/additional effect of Ag, Co₃O₄ and PANI compared to pure PANI and Co₃O₄@PANI. The addition of the Ag and Co₃O₄ provided an extended site for faradaic reactions leading to the high specific capacity. The Ag/Co₃O₄@PANI ternary nanocomposite exhibited an excellent specific capacity of 262.62 C g^-1 at a scan rate of 3 mV s^-1. The maximum energy and power density were found to be 14.01 Wh kg^-1 and 165.00 W kg^-1, respectively. The cyclic stability of supercapattery (Ag/Co₃O₄@PANI//activated carbon) consisting of a battery type electrode demonstrated a gradual increase in specific capacity with a continuous charge-discharge cycle until ~1000 cycles, then remained stable until 2500 cycles and later started decreasing, thereby showing the cyclic stability of 121.03% of its initial value after 3500 cycles.