Semi-Polycrystalline Polyaniline-Activated Carbon Composite for Supercapacitor Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing advanced electrode materials is crucial for high-performance energy storage devices.
• Activated carbon and polyaniline are promising materials for supercapacitors due to their unique properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel activated carbon-semi-polycrystalline polyaniline (SPani-AC) composite.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance of the SPani-AC composite as a supercapacitor electrode material.

Main Methods:

• In-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline on activated carbon surface at 60 °C in HCl medium.
• Morphological analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
• Crystallographic and chemical characterization using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Laser Raman Spectroscopy.
• Electrochemical performance evaluation using cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge cycling.

Main Results:

• The SPani-AC composite exhibited uniform spindle-shaped morphology and well-defined crystallographic lattices.
• Specific capacitance of 507 F g⁻¹ at 10 mV s⁻¹ and 45 F g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹ in a two-electrode device.
• Excellent capacitive retention of 96% up to 4500 cycles, with Coulombic efficiency retained up to 85%.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized SPani-AC composite is a highly efficient electrode material for supercapacitors.
• The material's architecture and redox properties contribute to its superior electrochemical performance.
• The composite demonstrates potential for advanced energy storage applications.