High-power-energy proton supercapacitor based on interface-adapted durable polyaniline and hexagonal tungsten oxide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Supercapacitors offer high power but suffer from low energy density, limiting their applications.
• Developing high-capacity electrode materials and increasing operating voltage are key strategies to enhance supercapacitor performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To significantly improve the performance of polyaniline (PANI) electrode materials for supercapacitors.
• To engineer robust PANI/carbon interfaces for enhanced energy density and cycling stability.

Main Methods:

• Assembling PANI nanorod arrays on a rose petals derived carbon network (RPDCN) to create PANI/RPDCN composites.
• Optimizing PANI structure by adjusting aniline precursor concentration.
• Constructing an asymmetric proton supercapacitor using the PANI/RPDCN composite and hexagonal tungsten oxide (h-WO3).

Main Results:

• The PANI/RPDCN composite exhibited a high capacitance of 636 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹.
• The electrode demonstrated excellent cycling stability, retaining 89% capacity after 2000 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹.
• The asymmetric supercapacitor achieved high energy densities of 29.0 Wh kg⁻¹ at 0.61 kW kg⁻¹ and 21.4 Wh kg⁻¹ at 19.51 kW kg⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• Engineering robust PANI/carbon interfaces dramatically enhances electrode performance.
• The developed PANI/RPDCN composite is a promising material for high-performance supercapacitors.
• This work presents an eco-friendly approach for superior PANI electrodes and a viable high-power energy storage system.